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 5548696 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 25978705 epoch_slot_no: 317905 block_no: 5548519 slot_leader_id: 5385987 size: 18134 time: 2021-04-04 14:03:16 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1dbfd33008c6248e8788765e269c8b66711e01856ccb493a8aa975cf804d6dc4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk170ymrwqcz6nxkvtd8wdm4quj9rejfca8hxu0gxyn9kedcg8se58qe4hxnc op_cert: \xb0403c3524ceca37328809b712f7073f8e47be1210d375d8276f374866f25039 op_cert_counter: 0