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 5549818 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 26001785 epoch_slot_no: 340985 block_no: 5549641 slot_leader_id: 4576734 size: 4283 time: 2021-04-04 20:27:56 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1502fd47c33fdb427fd353710e229f7d73fbb686a150a3da9969d212bca57c99Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fn3agt7xmk39nath728znyshgtjkwzqmddawqvtffzaz7wxv07yqtr3usw op_cert: \x3e9905d18c7a7219ae26e9944408d6f50f3bdcf9a6d3eb28f3a46d5d736c7ce6 op_cert_counter: 2