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 5545419 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 25912048 epoch_slot_no: 251248 block_no: 5545242 slot_leader_id: 5429907 size: 2781 time: 2021-04-03 19:32:19 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3a40e98aed28cad446ffd8a150a3e0c9cc3f43aa2b815ccef962323369fcf74fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19f9xfhps7htyct790t2h4njkcvcmg68f05cjkv7swvk3vj95t7gs7jcqu7 op_cert: \x9f2573f450f52505c2d02199aa17df23830710ef5dfa61473ac7869d8fd71115 op_cert_counter: 1