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 5440139 Details
Epoch: 252 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 23743794 epoch_slot_no: 242994 block_no: 5439962 slot_leader_id: 5360673 size: 9118 time: 2021-03-09 17:14:45 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc8c626edc2b202ea1c6f71249c132ae10132de48b22c1e3737f47494271cee7aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1henxrlwdl0yjg058v6sc9wy5aq42hqv5cmck437484qvysgjyq4q0wxxqz op_cert: \xda682cea7ddb4e6491ce1e469fa8d8dbc15d795577915d111c90e9af2010ee54 op_cert_counter: 0