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 5549871 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 26002858 epoch_slot_no: 342058 block_no: 5549694 slot_leader_id: 4556351 size: 4312 time: 2021-04-04 20:45:49 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf9c777da40ece4fce7695c5a7a7a8bb99554378d0b841dc7fbf360b36b8f59b3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1vpf2x74q4rz5ypeekn4vx7rnddfygwjg2mgkukmgque84c7dhyxqgz7zas op_cert: \x6c19c93c6d005228d366d23610b114d00d81fdcc5d8e332ca8333b639fcf1d24 op_cert_counter: 11