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 5540033 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 25801423 epoch_slot_no: 140623 block_no: 5539856 slot_leader_id: 5046163 size: 16985 time: 2021-04-02 12:48:34 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x65f0a9a49eb84d493052cdfb15830971dc78ea87e977413c4484fbb01a779059Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1g9vacdgpq6faj0xmntfvnn4mwsggkypq4z5m7mjc5zv3y930uydslnxawz op_cert: \xb227955feaae41bf66ab76a694e9f002809e42088e2399f2fb8f67b75c76e318 op_cert_counter: 2