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 5542040 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 26 slot_no: 25842746 epoch_slot_no: 181946 block_no: 5541863 slot_leader_id: 4560946 size: 11023 time: 2021-04-03 00:17:17 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4d0f97d6ef3f5195e7247cba33fc219165503f9b579d9b705926c4befa0b0916Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16yr9ngcxfj55kqdaam5kkupl9eydspx5n8j7v9uavrdzv6u5dxsqs5jl4f op_cert: \xfde7ab78469c462132ae0062ec2937655636206068e04166ddbd2c25e38d4c73 op_cert_counter: 10