A Cardano block is a collection of transactions that are grouped together and verified as a unit. It's similar to a page in a ledger. Each block contains a hash, which is a unique cryptographic code that identifies the block and its contents. Once a block is created, it's added to the blockchain, which is a public, distributed database. This process is known as block production. The creation of new blocks is carried out by staking pools, which are groups of individuals who contribute their ADA to secure the network. Blocks play a crucial role in the Cardano network by recording transactions, ensuring security, and providing a historical record.
Block 5580401 Details
Epoch: 259 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 26631339 epoch_slot_no: 106539 block_no: 5580224 slot_leader_id: 4567284 size: 8962 time: 2021-04-12 03:20:30 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5c979effa5ebf22675b372d7591f59f0894faf61521e5caa9f5019926ea6214aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1efm8z90hncrsra62ep0pcxusfwdncjnya0gzhlrz3uefw6kftmkqeawv72 op_cert: \xe777bb509f8dcc0e32fc83c9338d6aba99698417bfb20ddcdd8ab25cbf6b8888 op_cert_counter: 6