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 5542683 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 25855116 epoch_slot_no: 194316 block_no: 5542506 slot_leader_id: 5238785 size: 7741 time: 2021-04-03 03:43:27 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3dafa8e58f8b5a672cb5be04895f312b6adf1ae14caf835e73fb51fb2012f527Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ts8wu8sa4zc26qpy90683sjtkh2xn2ptnnmk4knw2zdxy842aczst0m03s op_cert: \x35c68f1c8995b2b0497eab22d30a16a916cffb720e5410442a65aa7ed1ed586a op_cert_counter: 0