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 5549308 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 25990686 epoch_slot_no: 329886 block_no: 5549131 slot_leader_id: 4609504 size: 6323 time: 2021-04-04 17:22:57 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3a3943da5aca86fe6ad6175824395673a0763bed41763a6f6331493982dfd47bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1973re7lsj6va8q8ly4tpedu9hr9mc28wehfwvhqszd3u48kndatszu3d8w op_cert: \x8d7828b62beafe2c3dad8054ead1d1cf1eeb37acaff3daaa500802f3d11c8d1e op_cert_counter: 4