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 5549553 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 10 slot_no: 25996015 epoch_slot_no: 335215 block_no: 5549376 slot_leader_id: 5156956 size: 6211 time: 2021-04-04 18:51:46 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3ff72e71cf7492170ac4cf261fff0202c211d4512872f8d260ea06766946f8a0Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17tgmhlh2ksvwd9pjgghq03v8qjtmwc7a2m4hrtessvk7tkc59wfsg0am4p op_cert: \x7038b62984025a94f3df17d59315ccf45fdbc9c264be68ed63b11cb282c8f493 op_cert_counter: 1