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 5539961 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 25799626 epoch_slot_no: 138826 block_no: 5539784 slot_leader_id: 5278927 size: 8650 time: 2021-04-02 12:18:37 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8a4d8af4bc01d89bdcd6f55e668e6dd7257b23e0b0dc71d277bbfc63ffcb043eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lgcdfw2m3dnsfw8lp2kyp55rhhngd9dqlp3ku454wpk6fvdl9p6q8pz5ac op_cert: \xf9cf7eeb8b6e8ed39baf7b0fe3255be2410cf7163f03497ec7ded18050db10e3 op_cert_counter: 1