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 5540019 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 25800964 epoch_slot_no: 140164 block_no: 5539842 slot_leader_id: 4555427 size: 1223 time: 2021-04-02 12:40:55 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe717c55333d16b6c3ba8b26292df82c006d7e42853408e51cd3dcf96d5b16a2fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17w5znxxj6l3ru8q3tw450a8axsgkp65x3t53fpkvlhuwuc57zdpqlaaczd op_cert: \x9a7b5a4b1a4ab36e487447ca77964af1409e6293ce1c5977c31a6491076446ac op_cert_counter: 5