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 5542697 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 25855478 epoch_slot_no: 194678 block_no: 5542520 slot_leader_id: 4558711 size: 3055 time: 2021-04-03 03:49:29 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x52dd88899345451093b6470481f489321306dec1ab36e934081e8f56b66a845cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xnpprrn77xe9as4a7cv5dehdr5ju6h06w87nn4rnfr2kr2dw3jyqpcy2r6 op_cert: \xec18764eee296ca14c2286f6731ea17efdeebfd426e66695f1c83cfa38bad2a1 op_cert_counter: 3