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 5550225 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 40 slot_no: 26010794 epoch_slot_no: 349994 block_no: 5550048 slot_leader_id: 5386451 size: 18518 time: 2021-04-04 22:58:05 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa243bbe124f67666f4602c9c3fcb525419161c31681c5e3ca7512b68f59550a1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wmj580fj2xsw0pgvcsxz7x30hgladhhnvmv0a6j5cc2xkh2zc4esvq44ev op_cert: \x302d46dc1311505da9aaa7cca4fca9252170cb2bc7cb7c51607626d71428a798 op_cert_counter: 1