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 5548272 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 25969926 epoch_slot_no: 309126 block_no: 5548095 slot_leader_id: 4558367 size: 7469 time: 2021-04-04 11:36:57 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x77f8278281d05d41f36e8bfd060c129419d7af2a188f057259d12988bc59ae7eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1nkf2z3s4sm00xtme6n7yxwdaye0dhwpz8zptyh22u9ex4pnugzmsulqnd6 op_cert: \xc1e62792346bb39afd15784bd596b6df20c3eed589a442fcd1995cb646186b65 op_cert_counter: 4