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 5549865 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 26002732 epoch_slot_no: 341932 block_no: 5549688 slot_leader_id: 4583203 size: 16459 time: 2021-04-04 20:43:43 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa8f5bf9835e9ad62167df85bd2e1e570c18cd2eb3e1f961c9537411eeaa0fc9dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1yu4mjf8q5nqdzzpu5whjc0u5eesxdct685sk6gyxuzztfgpzy44skl3035 op_cert: \xf3657aa453c45e12c2155def935e551bef583611b761d5d18231c64a4c152d15 op_cert_counter: 2