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 5542596 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 25853395 epoch_slot_no: 192595 block_no: 5542419 slot_leader_id: 4579330 size: 7290 time: 2021-04-03 03:14:46 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4975c92d51c130cc09b6e4a654ce8f4f7566bdfe43f57c7a2fd74fb5283aa183Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17hff333krucx82wjdhnwnfvusg8p4zn22lwmf2pmd2e5mghu52hqvpf8qj op_cert: \xc1059451f3ec218c537fa827c24e943729d25e20bbe78b44490fee7286cbd159 op_cert_counter: 3