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 5549518 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 25995445 epoch_slot_no: 334645 block_no: 5549341 slot_leader_id: 4633520 size: 8858 time: 2021-04-04 18:42:16 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x90748510085b94695306268f7c1e04bf40c2d3f6f1bbb9c22e75360c338dde92Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qtfnpacu3kmr92tyfztcswj44ee0pav0h47kmw7ylqh65r3lf5js7ut334 op_cert: \x1d70f57f0226aa8a56a94122024b96d72052e5fa9be3a9918909501f4a9d0cee op_cert_counter: 3