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 5542263 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 29 slot_no: 25847064 epoch_slot_no: 186264 block_no: 5542086 slot_leader_id: 4809597 size: 12187 time: 2021-04-03 01:29:15 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1ab614a9fe7daf81b51386fcd4b668816bff28432ea9c754b8e5045a95d4e13aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1tawdpfmgzkefrmg603n2cq047d5fj8cs0d4csce4xrxzzst444tsvwet66 op_cert: \xf243afb5fa96d87fa00bc2cab2587f2da42036c5580777da21fecb44637dfb8b op_cert_counter: 3