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 5542574 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 25852987 epoch_slot_no: 192187 block_no: 5542397 slot_leader_id: 4557996 size: 570 time: 2021-04-03 03:07:58 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x11abab94cf214ad2ac4b6ab3fa7ffad8c1be2709b15aa0a91b338b497a70003cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wvlqe2qje36uz5mhk5hnzq4qwuhqs9y7dvawtueezakddmp8fl9qhadshx op_cert: \x8f281b8216772d2499f89540aada4850490f92514a88e2f75028fd6ea0632bbb op_cert_counter: 5