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 5542318 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 10 slot_no: 25848049 epoch_slot_no: 187249 block_no: 5542141 slot_leader_id: 5063871 size: 5220 time: 2021-04-03 01:45:40 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x29eafa49b21f82a9b694876564e4b73f6f41d59e18b34e8a869c02ab034bf8afBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mdxcjxdlm93490zkfta02ggty5ag6rdjjvqcyseft86jnh06ev3q3l2w70 op_cert: \x0d2c789dedb514489bd9b6eac9ea5ad8b73913f63fd2cabe84178eba7d6ad36e op_cert_counter: 1