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 5542219 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 25846216 epoch_slot_no: 185416 block_no: 5542042 slot_leader_id: 4962722 size: 13105 time: 2021-04-03 01:15:07 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9c9cff26f08359a052adf7620062f895846aba7ee5e1bda2d119d737aaf00490Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1kacg7yqlp57wuxn80dsgzt8mhdkugqv783aqvkvtxggylel568rqy6cceh op_cert: \xc48dda03307f064fb0ab01f9f7e60ca12c935c7e4612677a1ad837bdc93ecf72 op_cert_counter: 2