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 5538121 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 25761142 epoch_slot_no: 100342 block_no: 5537944 slot_leader_id: 5324560 size: 5958 time: 2021-04-02 01:37:13 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb9a0fd8ec31e87a5b6970d136f66524c3a9d950cb4a82d32fbb3f37318017c7eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1un64vdcsmfaj77gurz8dzp8ffgxzxed958fgq0ad7nphh2dpq86scuxke4 op_cert: \x7ef6b117ff30032f84003d25443689cce8432ad32265ced902a90616ba35a023 op_cert_counter: 1