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 5542680 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 25854994 epoch_slot_no: 194194 block_no: 5542503 slot_leader_id: 4572201 size: 2651 time: 2021-04-03 03:41:25 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf6d533bbb0648595f6839f777fcecae907a95374514bfdf628e9be50fa3438e9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1294w5dl6qc8pk3y86g3lscxflwt30n6pcu550ywfp6hpq9wmx34stf52ph op_cert: \x5e0e7dfec37ab31d03305c3324294e76d8186d4969e38b0af2bac09a5acd82c7 op_cert_counter: 3