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 5548297 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 25970405 epoch_slot_no: 309605 block_no: 5548120 slot_leader_id: 4573799 size: 3403 time: 2021-04-04 11:44:56 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5a393bd50552f55a5dd180b46a57f670d00d66ed3161217ae2a21e75a07a2589Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1p0r0r8enaa9fv40zc0hm9q92lpwd4glg2lgm7tg67zxaf5v075ssg8328n op_cert: \x7e2544a48c5386d1b0b5729974e12bbfe1b0925f04c3f9b1c761a1bbd8ec6f0f op_cert_counter: 3