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 5542473 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 25851056 epoch_slot_no: 190256 block_no: 5542296 slot_leader_id: 5152344 size: 2697 time: 2021-04-03 02:35:47 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd9b337a0dcfa953299a03e1ce2b4961b03afb519283f50f8bf7460a75e77baf1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lpxqkprv75klqf07hsjly8qz9lpmmmpz7jm68dplr5xzcay87ewqzqml8u op_cert: \x624a151826d6dc4b5ee2e5b0d55ab9e9557fe14d4ab7c0e68fd3b2e62dc87238 op_cert_counter: 4