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 5542242 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 25846614 epoch_slot_no: 185814 block_no: 5542065 slot_leader_id: 4558344 size: 2755 time: 2021-04-03 01:21:45 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0be248adbe378792228274c8ddcb88de57297cf9788c28a6fb462c88d4ede60fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1vnzx4gph3j9ups7v2udcf3z96y9x85z53dnqc5umlshwlgum4j9sucfdpe op_cert: \x5b84bcbfe28149ad91969a02e2cc27512aaa8c448ca632167b9e6a7efc73ae5d op_cert_counter: 5