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 5549659 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 25998271 epoch_slot_no: 337471 block_no: 5549482 slot_leader_id: 4581743 size: 12233 time: 2021-04-04 19:29:22 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xacc882850a29ee72a6cfa7b26b9cd52759da9bb81847f7a4fcb6bf40d7f60f88Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk10muay2s03zv47g7dqqqfkjk8w52a9auk6mz35vc79k7e70sw0jjq2qd234 op_cert: \x213f36cbdd71904a4e500d19c2695e93172e452566645c302144fd51f5f985b0 op_cert_counter: 4