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 5549601 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 25997098 epoch_slot_no: 336298 block_no: 5549424 slot_leader_id: 5306704 size: 9139 time: 2021-04-04 19:09:49 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb3644e1de71b210f61dc6789c7fb3f0f0d258263cd964d90649a9128e3933af6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fdww9dy7h360tvhtzayq995qw6q7pwhn28hhx220rtp6shx6n8dq30zzwn op_cert: \x4f8e162442bf8ef286c30ffaf6c360957c74cfb4c7e786d00445de9ccaa27de4 op_cert_counter: 1