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 5542836 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 25858441 epoch_slot_no: 197641 block_no: 5542659 slot_leader_id: 5449414 size: 7485 time: 2021-04-03 04:38:52 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x58a84d949d2fc44a8d77a762819c8c7cfbe4d8b19cf21fa49242aec9fc001f7aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xck6kx5pf08uhw3lw0uh3flfumadhgyqlxedktw0hfjesch9852sqp4vwx op_cert: \xc39bc1b41e73f5072fa53283476b5215334672eebe488d32d9a5349d13b9f123 op_cert_counter: 0