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 5542687 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 25855253 epoch_slot_no: 194453 block_no: 5542510 slot_leader_id: 4572916 size: 7450 time: 2021-04-03 03:45:44 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8b07fc3477adb7cc7b18f1ff07e25a28b8b8cd7e734ce37e12d204fc97e0d90cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sh946l2qfxu5q8xu7sw3xmp07d4ph764frje3qm0p2wy6pu08u2qxwxfqw op_cert: \xc3f85bcfec76c4cda8ec5262a8f9e1bee98a5db46be0f9f467bbcf0412045129 op_cert_counter: 7