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 5548626 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 25976967 epoch_slot_no: 316167 block_no: 5548449 slot_leader_id: 4733300 size: 9876 time: 2021-04-04 13:34:18 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x53c43dedf036642f5e0cdf5727a5b513a05a7f4fe76fbd13ca111f237fe47c4bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1u8fpzrhfmyayq9vk3jsp32mklcszs9q8lhuaxlgspr8t4wqdkfys76vdcq op_cert: \x420416eb5ac44b65b84c95449858e8d01845c6b354416328a90638b2eb36034d op_cert_counter: 1