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 5581978 Details
Epoch: 259 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 26663816 epoch_slot_no: 139016 block_no: 5581801 slot_leader_id: 4555933 size: 8655 time: 2021-04-12 12:21:47 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x583874c0d7a56f5a88e709323bacb6c7b35ad373aed642003412027d1b7c3e4eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk149wpky483u54tmnkxhmlr0q0z7faw8relvty6evjrrmx7tg389nsz2awld op_cert: \x9cf6c703fa1f1e065a5cfb326b8963a87c9e7b7d8538c6c24eb7103cef10eb69 op_cert_counter: 4