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 5549996 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 26005559 epoch_slot_no: 344759 block_no: 5549819 slot_leader_id: 5537866 size: 5319 time: 2021-04-04 21:30:50 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4e5e7f05159b42269c979362a10327c8b502e91e323d1e07c000c2dd9ab049a0Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wr2jkqgnxkg4fcm852k5p6ytgw3tyuepauyfyu8ktf4z2zyruegst8drv3 op_cert: \xde5cd7333247f9ddb27a977f6a0321a91cc1b4d6270cc38d16dad1914ba71e93 op_cert_counter: 3