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 5440036 Details
Epoch: 252 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 23741400 epoch_slot_no: 240600 block_no: 5439859 slot_leader_id: 4490693 size: 6248 time: 2021-03-09 16:34:51 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x15517cef97b35bae92964060360b4cad9b122407e938bcc8ba6ff42310d431cbBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ytuuajlv7wvxj57qr6j5ycx69l54ks5nzswqwyn4fhhec6dtdjgsqmzku7 op_cert: \x7b1608a0cc8796535998c1b4337c6f68ff4a872e7f06c1f144c107ce5fc51239 op_cert_counter: 2