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 5542645 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 25854251 epoch_slot_no: 193451 block_no: 5542468 slot_leader_id: 5086876 size: 9013 time: 2021-04-03 03:29:02 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf659c3e58e851ae137877e35a157f8950a2fd53644c5571aa2149111e1fc3549Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1nhr70gay78n2u0ddrks75pks6l0u3snev72j9wuglgntv0x8rxtssllx5h op_cert: \xd1b2ff70725482003be3a152a328880fb66a688201a7fc1f411c542b7cd1ea30 op_cert_counter: 3