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 5550548 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 27 slot_no: 26017490 epoch_slot_no: 356690 block_no: 5550371 slot_leader_id: 4559948 size: 13360 time: 2021-04-05 00:49:41 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf8e83cbec2b1db79702a0b72fd3d61250162eb1f935aa9007d17b86e50886d45Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17f6d6lhqs57df92c2ju3ymqmq5uqaxk7drxxr96mj4cz6s37300q9y3av8 op_cert: \x1ff261cffce508be0c8a20d792f5d033140e77f9f25cc5edf1060e0739a39a22 op_cert_counter: 4