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 5549402 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 25992949 epoch_slot_no: 332149 block_no: 5549225 slot_leader_id: 4555824 size: 18085 time: 2021-04-04 18:00:40 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1308e762f455824c6c43d60d616604580a2cb19cca1735d2a119c942886466cdBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wfgru6h86c74e9flucrzupv9f4c4fxq9tvv54rs942vk6hlztu0qcfrpfp op_cert: \x8766ef8c26a0be3fa0660fb6f16052b7524e96f949d006fc23754f9fbb3254a3 op_cert_counter: 4