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 5542566 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 25852827 epoch_slot_no: 192027 block_no: 5542389 slot_leader_id: 5542566 size: 7332 time: 2021-04-03 03:05:18 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb50b40f6fc25d5bb050bcf39ba56d64c53d0e1a30c1eca50f1367eba2eeb97f6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1pprt5866a0u4s3wxkux4t68x7nx50c6s98fyk2v29xh9tyag2faq7ha0vt op_cert: \xa21c463cfe2d9906c011fad1fec52f84d5a94f8345d4c98c8fc74643ff0c26b2 op_cert_counter: 1