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 5542346 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 25848566 epoch_slot_no: 187766 block_no: 5542169 slot_leader_id: 4562647 size: 3492 time: 2021-04-03 01:54:17 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x34290fed88d3254f361316e9389a9f183e85e673e1478a7dfd108ba1841e07d4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ztd89l825ngr7m6qnte26ffpcvzssfqxkkkzfjlwwl9rjuans7lqnlav7a op_cert: \x3bd1e2cf13e3f78ed03b8e164e86eac8f9431dc437e4ec7fe6442a8aee5921e0 op_cert_counter: 3