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 5548495 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 25974443 epoch_slot_no: 313643 block_no: 5548318 slot_leader_id: 4555390 size: 1596 time: 2021-04-04 12:52:14 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x52659974b800953c0671c78ce562b26ef51c369918625cbe29373811b8b685d1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1vgtd8wucu5fd4fhr0mllw37c58yvhhqjxcnzv7xp7us5qez5xadsu7rshg op_cert: \x8069bfd77cd79d7d2f2ee84b16706040d92f9e02fe5575bfcabbe68794df2c46 op_cert_counter: 3