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 5542374 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 25849013 epoch_slot_no: 188213 block_no: 5542197 slot_leader_id: 4984234 size: 36121 time: 2021-04-03 02:01:44 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x432c4f0b05af8d7289d84c06b1b424e4407953a33c25a5e220528fa835aaf9bdBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gewqa80x8epjqakklng3rsn5az02e8wk7k9ypexa46uwf72h5r3s2q8uf4 op_cert: \x88f610b11d65608b82c88fac5cc1bd959f7fec97e8d4bcfaecfecd70b0202511 op_cert_counter: 7