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 5540026 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 25801257 epoch_slot_no: 140457 block_no: 5539849 slot_leader_id: 4689830 size: 4334 time: 2021-04-02 12:45:48 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x61b507e4e2fd268da2a7c0f8ab1e2ed9f2af6cc441054822a592a52b29e3ad0dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1pw52gwjshsr4tslssyx9ssk2fpv0ytrf20lj4uh2gfudx7jqp5tsj88p57 op_cert: \x441d3df4cb8908d5e099926c2eceb9c6e1092282fdcb90d1fbd3b1ab3897c729 op_cert_counter: 2