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 5542031 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 37 slot_no: 25842582 epoch_slot_no: 181782 block_no: 5541854 slot_leader_id: 4973238 size: 14867 time: 2021-04-03 00:14:33 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa8e0d1dc11f19a2861300b591ef45c3d38d79840e68f3ad489b16639e14f06a6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gay2h2w06t8n66x6l2nfw3fghkx6q8jh6m5r7csg8sl2nxqgv9wqtucszx op_cert: \x29524355e80a02f62fd90df25e3a43a10885ef3a28cc655b512c05e5a5993591 op_cert_counter: 2