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 5542428 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 10 slot_no: 25850146 epoch_slot_no: 189346 block_no: 5542251 slot_leader_id: 4557275 size: 8310 time: 2021-04-03 02:20:37 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7aacfe5a793284e0e10ae5d64c4a3ac5675ae46d1a0eaec8f565227f86d3839bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17v5w0aak280g633jdkce0wl8ev89cp9uk5rqca6p769lj8nps56q6t2z9t op_cert: \x9e358862b864389b37b4d0c6145be71dd92bd91b13823236e367654255426dd2 op_cert_counter: 4