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 5542284 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 25847527 epoch_slot_no: 186727 block_no: 5542107 slot_leader_id: 4731801 size: 1911 time: 2021-04-03 01:36:58 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa8c44603ea1141643223412a56c0fcfacd15328360ee8cb6433e2b5a1d96f559Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wme2l30cnp46hvvyc68gqzzke0srfuwl7vld3s7usmp4cpvrcagq2hxlg0 op_cert: \x08da73534604b0de4f9a396cba4bb31fb47f9f5817ef36caa714b22241bc1bd3 op_cert_counter: 2