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 5543217 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 25865974 epoch_slot_no: 205174 block_no: 5543040 slot_leader_id: 4556416 size: 3211 time: 2021-04-03 06:44:25 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc9c142af2775faa3f12e7f84aa8291842ae5861cfb057a618da09b7c72c530b1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17d54jy4dkx773tg6flm43qwj7v6ahf208wkats9ugt33mnvys7xqxpqc76 op_cert: \xf211090c948e5fc8e5bd5723bdc156ee1de7b4ec2ce81d81bad14ee0cac208e3 op_cert_counter: 4