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 5546516 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 25934049 epoch_slot_no: 273249 block_no: 5546339 slot_leader_id: 4555499 size: 8023 time: 2021-04-04 01:39:00 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf7e2d94239bbcbd9634ff243b6cd823e65ac9175c69c9ee8f5cfae7a2281fce3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17ltssr2yxf2j6ktqkhd3sgxedjna205ce9qp5djyvfa639hhux4qj73fzv op_cert: \x32f2bd7e9b8089681135fbc4c8133182141c497c08ac56579e4dddfdb197eae1 op_cert_counter: 5