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 5542638 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 25854124 epoch_slot_no: 193324 block_no: 5542461 slot_leader_id: 5279499 size: 4266 time: 2021-04-03 03:26:55 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4999533dfc004767501bdf356681e0221cc926699bd5050750ccdb4278d1500cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19afdfw47djw9usk607zq4mq6v3xzh8xznxehjsl06069fd09dydq8lp6wg op_cert: \x807bf8f3cf9e9e4519f4816aca4a16199bc7f8d1648d1f710bf729ad6ebaa156 op_cert_counter: 0