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 5440117 Details
Epoch: 252 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 23743261 epoch_slot_no: 242461 block_no: 5439940 slot_leader_id: 5023459 size: 8108 time: 2021-03-09 17:05:52 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9e70454ef0fac54ea7c3f7c6e3706e0018550a3d25ddcde7641e093b3d1add2cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1k5v8vk25xfezvtvc6a9kj9rnahkhuylwfm9k3ma6p0ukmh0wck6su7wl5c op_cert: \xd3c7f93b5d3c2a47d146c80ceeb03252214c94d999f2d216824f7c59b39b0356 op_cert_counter: 1