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 5549436 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 25993635 epoch_slot_no: 332835 block_no: 5549259 slot_leader_id: 5152757 size: 6134 time: 2021-04-04 18:12:06 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8f700af50515dd6a0a499fdb1b4dd3aa61f73c432727b37984e95967ebcf2098Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1hj70x993rze9mhsgj8dvee0vcsx2vxqns92yysnfqueueulwnheqkq0246 op_cert: \xdfe3c55c4d8fc3d619af1ca4e45aa3d8db8dbedc8cf4d343f8cffe437e3b00c8 op_cert_counter: 4