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 5549677 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 25998585 epoch_slot_no: 337785 block_no: 5549500 slot_leader_id: 4556470 size: 15738 time: 2021-04-04 19:34:36 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3fcfa51cc2a832bb71c65e046ce7da32651e238e1cb6da1fe0224e9a810c7b82Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1rluj3m4ag2h9clcedrkgwj56nacxwtnlf5h7qza8nwjeqenfee0qwqjsmj op_cert: \x6f1a7093fb8966019feca85ba6ced758b54d2c82391b7ec31fa204f8c3464c7f op_cert_counter: 4