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 5546173 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 25926938 epoch_slot_no: 266138 block_no: 5545996 slot_leader_id: 4558052 size: 5547 time: 2021-04-03 23:40:29 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xcbe97611877bdc37868627ad4a43ef0e6140665de0f452750193307d1acb6254Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12cmp9tznzdsp64q4clmnyn20k78xewtn4m2uzmv5rjfkknvm6h4sztrzhl op_cert: \xc943db335042011feb302c2249980babb737e5884db258c67288dffb4189e7ab op_cert_counter: 6