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 5542648 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 25854287 epoch_slot_no: 193487 block_no: 5542471 slot_leader_id: 5449570 size: 1848 time: 2021-04-03 03:29:38 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x17b2eacf22f3b1670689e8412c79da8196cfcde4a4bfc6e2ec9f91394e852f04Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1t9ldgqvw7f6lvht0ykznym9r6xr3nz5da6hmkl90vtu2hhpwghes67da3q op_cert: \x4375902d5e302c15794ad42925c4f333363c2e23bca083226140714af0839341 op_cert_counter: 1