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 5542301 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 15 slot_no: 25847754 epoch_slot_no: 186954 block_no: 5542124 slot_leader_id: 5279179 size: 7671 time: 2021-04-03 01:40:45 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe555730759ee53436b4e45ef56f1f3fd58cc261de65918b91c788f233dd0184aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16zch8u2wat0s425f6fedff7m5a68jhsjj56cazvks3kd46tgfhmq7wklph op_cert: \x9e84d3e3445f902962a861dfb22f40bcf394ab9dec5a1f8c6637b6b07f162e2d op_cert_counter: 0