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 5548403 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 25972550 epoch_slot_no: 311750 block_no: 5548226 slot_leader_id: 5257656 size: 13781 time: 2021-04-04 12:20:41 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7c5db9d3c2896ec8ee409ddaece39fafbfece870ab087a849b9c18bdb7883f91Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1atmp68skeehvhvlv9vrrc7uzqp73l3dmgp2qy9lwhdlm03qv9k2qgahx9e op_cert: \x2a255ca4796b47f5e6ace59c829d9084c60b39f570b06f5e9246dd15a22e70c2 op_cert_counter: 1