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 5542811 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 31 slot_no: 25857850 epoch_slot_no: 197050 block_no: 5542634 slot_leader_id: 5066676 size: 13969 time: 2021-04-03 04:29:01 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7be75ca024b4c27e6bdb25dc553c04e66c70491fa4c70946aa8fd3e12563f7e3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1tn22sa0azvtls9m2jyxxwpw0mjqrprgrrjdrlf43hs45kn2ky9rqv2384z op_cert: \xca90ecb6972cab4434463e01286bdf23a8756d3b20374b5bfa371588db67b46d op_cert_counter: 2