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 5549908 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 26003630 epoch_slot_no: 342830 block_no: 5549731 slot_leader_id: 4649278 size: 4259 time: 2021-04-04 20:58:41 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xef5228f9e559e89e91f2f8056cc1a31655fcb9474f65a45d055b446c68e296b7Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1w6yvmvcgg85j8gd9thd7dmkwp22kqv4ngvufgxgreuxhgwunl8mquu5f5h op_cert: \xfe95aed3418b6120bad241d141c80667fd1eb146057f9d106d09b10454847366 op_cert_counter: 3