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 5542381 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 25849166 epoch_slot_no: 188366 block_no: 5542204 slot_leader_id: 4646548 size: 7349 time: 2021-04-03 02:04:17 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x700db5e7447fc437a1d65bdc4429fd9c941be1ce8ea9f2cebe257be22f498f0fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gxlu5vrfkcnlg965j42egkv797g3up57argyta0xavucm7z7hvus0x0cgg op_cert: \x50b09de08e5b3a0cf793c19e793c8ab6ad8cf2939ce687cbd2d5488868462c54 op_cert_counter: 2