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 5548221 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 25969021 epoch_slot_no: 308221 block_no: 5548044 slot_leader_id: 5101102 size: 1165 time: 2021-04-04 11:21:52 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc71e54ee703446a9ebfe825c6449a7a168a4b4c92f6fee7bf0fbe8faedf6f22eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17azdx6gkaw43xfyvm9mts359xvzx2ezwhdd397xlvy74a9wzaqaq5rvhd2 op_cert: \x5e1eced1b751a02da7db23b21430dff83a532140e87230bd7cf2f906577fa21d op_cert_counter: 1