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 5543561 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 25873560 epoch_slot_no: 212760 block_no: 5543384 slot_leader_id: 4634493 size: 13811 time: 2021-04-03 08:50:51 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0d7c9f0bb2b6eb5f6fc858947ddb453b891e8d374965f8a6db4d4fcaf70b6ceeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1knups3css9zwcss59s47uq55edshzxuxsyn77s92kehl7hfr399qvctsh6 op_cert: \x4f2d58ab2c218374784636755ec3e15e70f72e21c1134159c952375e17212adf op_cert_counter: 2