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 5542601 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 10 slot_no: 25853464 epoch_slot_no: 192664 block_no: 5542424 slot_leader_id: 4965776 size: 8583 time: 2021-04-03 03:15:55 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x157aa522de0f2c9b8bdf7f2b5d4045601e020ee054a3b406b948d079f425d311Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1275jtnedrechugmqe3wxkaehjdwq5akqj4l8z0utqjhzjf4wpays2e2g0l op_cert: \x12516791d34029757ac0c35955c9663e91f816520e0c834562bfd0500ebb3810 op_cert_counter: 1