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 5542517 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 25851891 epoch_slot_no: 191091 block_no: 5542340 slot_leader_id: 4578791 size: 2466 time: 2021-04-03 02:49:42 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6e89f1ae9316f1609381acb0ada7ff9c191fa252493d2cf9a0e0bb137c9f7698Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12znkwvpp8kvjvqj6g6aynch77eyawm0xv7jranp8f24vmuznlqgqqnsgsq op_cert: \x866bc0514c52a1cd28b7697f53fe17fd80a42f40c4d398c5c48d6d026da7300b op_cert_counter: 4