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 5542146 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 25844945 epoch_slot_no: 184145 block_no: 5541969 slot_leader_id: 4571822 size: 1597 time: 2021-04-03 00:53:56 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe46e4f8007d63e5b259ea86d492b6a5723d7a0de4c2d7b052669747c5c4d34baBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1u8nxdxurzxp4ug6t489796wukth5f7wfu6l4m85cznha923ekllq0wct2e op_cert: \x4d5a92525c783b5a2c983e970dd7c6202dd3890fb289cfbfd7ed3134563190b6 op_cert_counter: 6