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 5540057 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 10 slot_no: 25801792 epoch_slot_no: 140992 block_no: 5539880 slot_leader_id: 4582306 size: 8201 time: 2021-04-02 12:54:43 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9e0a4687b2cde32f3db946c22114cff516e1a8dd4c42321baacc647c7a7b6538Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1vfz253gr7kdcyvhsd820cecmpqrvtvm0x5nutp8sferryh9zkvwswym3qe op_cert: \x6d80b4707daa3d24936f153f0f46bff93e4f5c071cb2a3244dfa1aef3f4462c1 op_cert_counter: 10