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 5549353 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 25991779 epoch_slot_no: 330979 block_no: 5549176 slot_leader_id: 5026921 size: 2106 time: 2021-04-04 17:41:10 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x603babc11d08a1fbb0748f8a4ec4bf6101724d00ddc42ececcee33002fa82b13Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1vhuhnklefgj9xaw20kz2786anlqk3gy9ws0se5d85kx8x43z5ylqzvw79d op_cert: \x496c9b4d1091715aebc48e6f89a0ddff2053e4d8a1f41175e7e7e8423d6fc23b op_cert_counter: 3