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 5542267 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 25847173 epoch_slot_no: 186373 block_no: 5542090 slot_leader_id: 4900604 size: 20864 time: 2021-04-03 01:31:04 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbbb2efc28cefdd661ed37645533d7e9e51f3982ccf8d61da7497e592a86a67e6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1swhgqekh4mplz5dn87cqzm6t9hwrat9n4vreq4jw8g48dtsw8n5q7ky7xm op_cert: \x4b967ca08766f182c20302ff376b18f1182fbeaeb5a809c6f099add13b28741e op_cert_counter: 8