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 5542426 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 25850088 epoch_slot_no: 189288 block_no: 5542249 slot_leader_id: 5386016 size: 2608 time: 2021-04-03 02:19:39 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5f524afd1d992e4747263737abad9cddb09859cd68044c3da85fdc63462657d8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1vga8lp8lzuxml4fwlagvdpv6tsrgtucmsfnx7mchtvyfacjl08xqlntkhm op_cert: \x7ebfb1828e3d45cebe2bfed124e00bbda4d25ec6c90cf1695a43b39c6c3b3392 op_cert_counter: 0