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 5542396 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 25849475 epoch_slot_no: 188675 block_no: 5542219 slot_leader_id: 4593486 size: 6183 time: 2021-04-03 02:09:26 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5f578d7c2d9f7117247281aafb573e30921092513e75456905384a566cee85a1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk14md6rl6nkscz0p6cgsskqkfpnvvnnzmm2hwtfuks28esus68h9hs826jk7 op_cert: \xef6c28e134e91c5c9a690725d6245c8933e5461d16ec89733041d60b912a272d op_cert_counter: 3