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 5548558 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 25975631 epoch_slot_no: 314831 block_no: 5548381 slot_leader_id: 5428364 size: 7030 time: 2021-04-04 13:12:02 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf9ea0512ee431e3daee696350c13fc302255d5a258a5054e605ab7d64cf9058fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13jfew8as9lgnz8hmdl5e0pck6jq876ptddrymjm5ajs2n5atkuqqs9x0j2 op_cert: \xaee7a3b68e5bcbe6fad767142ef97a1d4b86b225654ee9d89b90a564c9fe6efe op_cert_counter: 0