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 5542580 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 25853086 epoch_slot_no: 192286 block_no: 5542403 slot_leader_id: 5065959 size: 1569 time: 2021-04-03 03:09:37 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0a385ecd8dfe9940a8b8c1fa768b0a557470de74afc7c31251e5d3594cd2e4fdBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1d9qrmed96sxkttr88uhg8u9dxa79rwhrppy75ea588r9c6t29q7q2zyu74 op_cert: \x65e1665aeca03a4b9e49b35d43e641f3254f5597a06da756d99b9be67008e686 op_cert_counter: 5