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 5549488 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 24 slot_no: 25994657 epoch_slot_no: 333857 block_no: 5549311 slot_leader_id: 5063871 size: 10229 time: 2021-04-04 18:29:08 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbd6068d3d0ca9d7a15959fe19869270fbea8b0c984f05510a93677efa866950fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mdxcjxdlm93490zkfta02ggty5ag6rdjjvqcyseft86jnh06ev3q3l2w70 op_cert: \x0d2c789dedb514489bd9b6eac9ea5ad8b73913f63fd2cabe84178eba7d6ad36e op_cert_counter: 1