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 5549558 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 25996148 epoch_slot_no: 335348 block_no: 5549381 slot_leader_id: 4557828 size: 5279 time: 2021-04-04 18:53:59 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7246c229c4a6e1eaee1cdeaef4b4bcdab0e1701d26bf3c4d27c2538bb39b74b3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dclzj33jzku2vkq80a8mg50m3hqcv728l9tcpx0yujq3sfvgvapqn9sdnd op_cert: \x2b9b288d5ed802c6fa9ea9667850aa0622f661b1ac15e82928702d5c6387c217 op_cert_counter: 2