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 5548693 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 25978604 epoch_slot_no: 317804 block_no: 5548516 slot_leader_id: 4588020 size: 3098 time: 2021-04-04 14:01:35 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x38af7abb5122a655ee8f85ac113dcc7c5d73d7165a32ac00fac8eecf711746ddBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1v38ah9nkpaw4799796l5ypvdyrusx8pedyktw4srzj3fc8ksa40sl0vmvd op_cert: \x6057db585fe826db855b08f2f1901b648a92a0c14fc9ce03215a08e04523a1e1 op_cert_counter: 13