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 5542609 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 25853651 epoch_slot_no: 192851 block_no: 5542432 slot_leader_id: 4555658 size: 4232 time: 2021-04-03 03:19:02 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc375f73e8ab07438358877f14df94ee36658b6972802f22567a4286c9cd3be43Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xjffjgfgkcugakd4d2cr98jzc47lt5026jzrd63xjzqetuea47gqrgauhm op_cert: \x6c1a25de95c89fe2df4af81e8440ac621b723fcc06c0ddfc0f2c7dd900067c1f op_cert_counter: 4