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 5548217 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 25968912 epoch_slot_no: 308112 block_no: 5548040 slot_leader_id: 4604290 size: 5418 time: 2021-04-04 11:20:03 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5200b770aa29943bc596be0272a9ee0413241d1c79ad533cf5f4cd9b2e11792eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ck5fsw5vhjg83kv4jjetaw3xjydxnl4zvthnm2yrw5wmq6v03xmsja44am op_cert: \xba08c4b2cc8aaf1c28407ae8229e7e4a98bf48923349b077bbf323f81ae2b4e6 op_cert_counter: 9