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 5546850 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 25940986 epoch_slot_no: 280186 block_no: 5546673 slot_leader_id: 4555658 size: 1991 time: 2021-04-04 03:34:37 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc30386e7959c34b2d006b0753274c76351a2156b57ac5075cd7e523553ef7e8dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xjffjgfgkcugakd4d2cr98jzc47lt5026jzrd63xjzqetuea47gqrgauhm op_cert: \x6c1a25de95c89fe2df4af81e8440ac621b723fcc06c0ddfc0f2c7dd900067c1f op_cert_counter: 4