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 5542676 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 10 slot_no: 25854873 epoch_slot_no: 194073 block_no: 5542499 slot_leader_id: 5151470 size: 5059 time: 2021-04-03 03:39:24 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x15c3542de475d60172f1baa7a8a36657b29fb3760c8de9ebfb6a1e2d2c5222a1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xync2ctlr2uudtevq73z4khxu05txvm5ednmx87005aw22ecr29qg67r25 op_cert: \x0d9b30279f1d7364788c317faef9deb4d479fc464325c405959a763c3b8fb6ec op_cert_counter: 1