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 5540078 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 26 slot_no: 25802248 epoch_slot_no: 141448 block_no: 5539901 slot_leader_id: 4809934 size: 10952 time: 2021-04-02 13:02:19 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xca778dc7b5af2fcb208e0eb21382bb04d0b47f42f13263d32c718c666d8d0489Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13udtypkcty4yj00gvak7f6f8vs8f6f6l2w6mcp2z97edzp2wu2rqtj538x op_cert: \x83c8c895be777850989a3bd6ae830f1326b6c6224372dd35d78f5066d22eed44 op_cert_counter: 3