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 5542186 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 25845761 epoch_slot_no: 184961 block_no: 5542009 slot_leader_id: 4567030 size: 9104 time: 2021-04-03 01:07:32 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf9c0f0154ce835757ebf3e9c431adfa612a97c4744253ab47a829b006a719df8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sc6j3myw533tdxs4dgdxs2rmuyhah3cm6hgfr9mcfj75vnj7dy9s704cl0 op_cert: \x4cd73156f5549628499045e917502886c3dd9793f4ce337af6d8a560c5c5d079 op_cert_counter: 8