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 5549598 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 25997018 epoch_slot_no: 336218 block_no: 5549421 slot_leader_id: 4610095 size: 7085 time: 2021-04-04 19:08:29 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa3320c4feb42e3e1b5d0266648e49302186ef2d99e5951ca7908c3e37522a4ecBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ck95076g64jmctmgsyszdpgjcj9dcdjw0udu7qyjxmsstvpenf4qjpjtpk op_cert: \x3cb192835882c95c3f89f955c0873eb54c4fb4ff0b09e60e0bba46b85d8ed355 op_cert_counter: 3