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 5540018 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 29 slot_no: 25800949 epoch_slot_no: 140149 block_no: 5539841 slot_leader_id: 5492955 size: 19608 time: 2021-04-02 12:40:40 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x46f4a245b03768a301f9302a8f99c91fae6e53dd85ef17c02263b1580c8e8107Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1szzlcr9mum90fzt5eukwc0ayl67v6y48g8v65pr8f9rc74uxp82qzvxklr op_cert: \x2ee8e2701c12a71c68834c6d4089a10ed1d8da68ec5539f74cb3e5a2624a150f op_cert_counter: 0