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 5549658 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 25998251 epoch_slot_no: 337451 block_no: 5549481 slot_leader_id: 4556690 size: 2058 time: 2021-04-04 19:29:02 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x56b082b061044e4f97a8f88e717ddf06ce8feaf71cd864be7bb1e6c9f4d1becdBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1j78vqh6g4ewcwlumwawamtdcrmjsam3twycdw6k2a8pefcl3cvtsx90rwl op_cert: \x3032227e9a875e6397265bd8f3078281b042980f03b1c8ffd18d9dd51f161649 op_cert_counter: 3