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 5542916 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 33 slot_no: 25860231 epoch_slot_no: 199431 block_no: 5542739 slot_leader_id: 4591434 size: 15630 time: 2021-04-03 05:08:42 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3cd0f68a18fc5e13a45238f37768f99cbcb4b2262c59f69f126c729dc556219fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15l5xndch25p7uvtarv7dyagh4zgkvk5yzzndttv99sswhn7umfcqe2xv0h op_cert: \x150c15d441785a02bb4d6732c3a1d46292a47df7cff4a6776370fcf9afc6d5d4 op_cert_counter: 2