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 5542394 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 25849412 epoch_slot_no: 188612 block_no: 5542217 slot_leader_id: 4961402 size: 1183 time: 2021-04-03 02:08:23 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0a5ca1105a04d7dc66255bcde351d6e4336ec4ca8c729bd6d28441e94abd15a2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1f063au5fjd35833vp3zgs67y3xp2e9tjwkaz6dsx2z5u0pskc4fq7hc96n op_cert: \x335e89f055e650b7bf0a9fb1679a5ad35940e2843f61f50c3420d6f5e020d329 op_cert_counter: 1