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 5540097 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 10 slot_no: 25802644 epoch_slot_no: 141844 block_no: 5539920 slot_leader_id: 5003307 size: 6407 time: 2021-04-02 13:08:55 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5181e58d89f9c24113a623c3133d5719abd4cbbb3b6a309ebf4776e8df50d9c6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13tgw0f2eu2wmw25076k88jdqdd82k9sm5gl8uzqqfs7m8tgzh4mqustes0 op_cert: \x31d9e5c0a3c48e6e370cddd373c92cd93630798a67d5efbc44f724be6ea401d8 op_cert_counter: 1