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 5549497 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 25994930 epoch_slot_no: 334130 block_no: 5549320 slot_leader_id: 4558237 size: 2023 time: 2021-04-04 18:33:41 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9f24173bf7dc1b3db30b2f24f3c1c24904717ac2199b84c01016f2b4341da724Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16v0wlzz9d2q4x2ewx4pwmsfwlmahftvrccxkq3ytwremps59hzzs7gaa9y op_cert: \x4c6cda4dfe14f841d8539633288c15eda01a246cf76f2ee09a0dcb78802241db op_cert_counter: 5