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 5540096 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 25802620 epoch_slot_no: 141820 block_no: 5539919 slot_leader_id: 5153170 size: 1244 time: 2021-04-02 13:08:31 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xaa72a64b2fbab5598c96d0ddcef3b94bbdb33d8eec306c395a9d168e57f1ca8aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1t4z0yj73jcllp9zv800jcwp0szw9jhh53f3rfs0zgvcjfqfdy43sa5q9u3 op_cert: \x0d90d204ccdd13c204fcb30c497f3bcc8b1ab8ea0abf2c919970bef23be12276 op_cert_counter: 4