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 5581220 Details
Epoch: 259 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 26648272 epoch_slot_no: 123472 block_no: 5581043 slot_leader_id: 5266600 size: 4492 time: 2021-04-12 08:02:43 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3f4236dc24752f352773dda1558a6670f6d1dabb3489604c3bfc0a265169cb5fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18qpdzp9xyy8qp24yv7hxwslvvlg0vl88t2j5ztg7cftqefdw4z9qe8d9e2 op_cert: \x1b481f3b2d4168f7cad315eeedfa64924853384c6364b92e30820a4784904420 op_cert_counter: 10