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 5542595 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 25853362 epoch_slot_no: 192562 block_no: 5542418 slot_leader_id: 4555645 size: 3095 time: 2021-04-03 03:14:13 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x347bd328902c2992321c9f22ec159ccc90ae130127cdac21255dd9a201dbe93aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18mvldxxw5k9gd9a8dznc63ez4x80mpdkz6l0wrm6y430p22nvfqq62u7ty op_cert: \x884897bc93690f29ea3276a6ea28a1aadeea473f5f94827ffca887163ea9796d op_cert_counter: 4