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 5538374 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 25766809 epoch_slot_no: 106009 block_no: 5538197 slot_leader_id: 4556264 size: 7674 time: 2021-04-02 03:11:40 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd4fdd89d3c0032550a5e9aec7cef7d35c32c7aaa1ca12c82ad034841ee13ccfbBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1x8944k6j572wpdtz4tn3l9pam2ddhp6an35ma4ug9mr2rvqflz3shpaj36 op_cert: \x48376330305a669e3f0bb7d39fc686c2b53b768861e27926cfe24c48fd71c224 op_cert_counter: 3