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 5542357 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 25848771 epoch_slot_no: 187971 block_no: 5542180 slot_leader_id: 5088394 size: 5847 time: 2021-04-03 01:57:42 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7b8ce79bf91ee683f1168cd188eaf6a93373de762445047e7ce46a0c9cb3ecf1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1n82ruvdjpx9ner8gv85ywwr7xyk0kh3d9thshv72r2crcdkhxygqxztpyz op_cert: \x0aa7cf7b32a49720f3a5e7433093bf440d662e4db9e58b059f4ade4d912b64d8 op_cert_counter: 1