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 5542576 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 25853005 epoch_slot_no: 192205 block_no: 5542399 slot_leader_id: 4655981 size: 1918 time: 2021-04-03 03:08:16 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8c16dad48c2b2f6c1aeef172c043516868da16595dbc5f761efef572f8931afbBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1x20xpx2lmcqwx36cv6ld8ra7fzsy0979pw8eaptn05zsfmlw82asn9kvhc op_cert: \xc2ae9c9ce7f51efd4e897f0dcae4cbf688f133c8d3731b8998eba78040411428 op_cert_counter: 3