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 5542515 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 25851865 epoch_slot_no: 191065 block_no: 5542338 slot_leader_id: 4578577 size: 9671 time: 2021-04-03 02:49:16 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x48bf7691466bd93e9e5b69665faca0d8ec988a2e6992d405ccfe51c3c53be48cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lknw8t34xzv42lucahfnd9jjnux8kvk00l3d06nmmg5zjy03m4gsv8r09n op_cert: \xc75749297f90d4b963db6d21f897d251b55bb63e74a80aa6fa1449c01af3d314 op_cert_counter: 2