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 5542774 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 25857034 epoch_slot_no: 196234 block_no: 5542597 slot_leader_id: 4555520 size: 1940 time: 2021-04-03 04:15:25 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb9f6378403793c16894f7b62e9c9c08b06e729d056c8f71a726412a9ba2bd36fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1w7d6wrmwnmv967fwczseale2mp9d8e977mfc8x0gc3um7nadj9fqvkecw6 op_cert: \x26dbdca65cf798748e5ac4a58cf263f5ad41d508dce7951dadc5d7888ec1f796 op_cert_counter: 5