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 5549291 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 25990377 epoch_slot_no: 329577 block_no: 5549114 slot_leader_id: 4558590 size: 4482 time: 2021-04-04 17:17:48 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9314f5cb50015ec305a77dbe6403e0c3fb73c527e2441613d43f76bd570b995dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12ply07ya8jzhyqmpcystrm0f4rp853cymcsn33kpx7l9s6d822gq37n0fg op_cert: \x183b34c9b5c27e4e6765ad9a23186dd115b90fefbe2ff9499f5339fd61300c18 op_cert_counter: 4