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 5440008 Details
Epoch: 252 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 23740888 epoch_slot_no: 240088 block_no: 5439831 slot_leader_id: 5152260 size: 5138 time: 2021-03-09 16:26:19 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd38c4822be1b71671b61883ffa4add8750c95213916d664d0276f431809e5e0aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1360snatudsnaz8lq0cxtsztdgxfp67mypth6tgfvu23y4yj3u96qvq0gv6 op_cert: \xa4c426177b834a78149bf4d61ba2fc9997f697c3a24f4c9b605db99b1eba1be4 op_cert_counter: 1