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 5550044 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 26006612 epoch_slot_no: 345812 block_no: 5549867 slot_leader_id: 4563878 size: 1662 time: 2021-04-04 21:48:23 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x49a083f29783481000b8e04ffd13d48717b941653923b2a3c250e98443cc267eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sr5n4gdd7p0cjvp7yfnz503nk689kvhmmstj402s4pljylxc5j9szl9epq op_cert: \x217ca702bd301633464a5b3bfe697971fa5c5384cb7ad98a548535023f6b0346 op_cert_counter: 2