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 5542225 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 25846308 epoch_slot_no: 185508 block_no: 5542048 slot_leader_id: 4555561 size: 9828 time: 2021-04-03 01:16:39 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe5d56a80f4698d15d9b8d1bf15ebb78d885a2c21b8c1e245032f94a8e7d1c78aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1vahd9zncqkeaehp09j3g93a8kmdhk8gy4cn8spc8tze0e5eegflqkak6k6 op_cert: \xde85adbc799b1ad239550d80856af013444313d73fea34e7dc9746b3dbf30ef6 op_cert_counter: 4