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 5542858 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 25858955 epoch_slot_no: 198155 block_no: 5542681 slot_leader_id: 4555994 size: 8959 time: 2021-04-03 04:47:26 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6e10dc54df5f22368e260b8848acdf1b1031994da1499d8d87f66c41a6f9a2c1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sv5wq84j45knwywjp8ht98y42rt5s8gqe3v3c3qzadgjue9cqepsje98ar op_cert: \x15e4b889d7b6ef06b7e502615628efeecc16da612d6487a56dd1edf04c3edd48 op_cert_counter: 5