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 5542863 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 25859042 epoch_slot_no: 198242 block_no: 5542686 slot_leader_id: 4605134 size: 7869 time: 2021-04-03 04:48:53 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5f4df5079c017fd43862246f75db18bd4987fc3e60674e42d7dc976e6fba9142Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1z7tclh4hmg082w647j9vxmgugg87r28whgv0msy2cua8e8rdvx3qywd2p0 op_cert: \x96c4fd5a7cd2dde47cac3c664e218cf8d5bd88ebf82d16e54c6159ddff71c5e4 op_cert_counter: 5