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 5542597 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 25853412 epoch_slot_no: 192612 block_no: 5542420 slot_leader_id: 4622010 size: 1816 time: 2021-04-03 03:15:03 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9ed45a2320526e3613f5d39e1cd1499c213c7ddf6039da2a2dc5f58463f354a7Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1v3xtkne7dg3tjtcmnana9kecjtkah02jqutnglhk0kevz6w73c6svf843g op_cert: \x4df517ad97a883560041f9eb929a2edbcbb792c3e398e7696d86d5e430083d35 op_cert_counter: 4