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 5549740 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 26000032 epoch_slot_no: 339232 block_no: 5549563 slot_leader_id: 5429907 size: 22353 time: 2021-04-04 19:58:43 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5dd68746bc91e25e7bfa7881f4d7748af7303305055e47d5f838006a1ad7bbbdBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19f9xfhps7htyct790t2h4njkcvcmg68f05cjkv7swvk3vj95t7gs7jcqu7 op_cert: \x9f2573f450f52505c2d02199aa17df23830710ef5dfa61473ac7869d8fd71115 op_cert_counter: 1