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 5542819 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 33 slot_no: 25858131 epoch_slot_no: 197331 block_no: 5542642 slot_leader_id: 4746643 size: 18237 time: 2021-04-03 04:33:42 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xfd6e3ff2444b169e63456f04de2ab01b9b1d48125ec492595a24dce0cb6b7f22Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mk6j3jjpufepqyy0x5yj0d8x972s6608z7g477pm6lrysc4dedqst3fqd0 op_cert: \x84ff9418addfdc57b74df55eaf3e6ada6ebd66fe6cad368cad3e6b272345295e op_cert_counter: 2