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 5540162 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 25803835 epoch_slot_no: 143035 block_no: 5539985 slot_leader_id: 5280389 size: 3795 time: 2021-04-02 13:28:46 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2c40377a4de612ccacaa6d04694991b69aa7167b8b4216a9452cc20c8441f04bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1acg828g30qh3zdt8wnjpe3hrpylflttspy2cczqk50ta7krk9ntqr6ja96 op_cert: \x7648292a76ddf820d87b7b9dc9edf8e116366cd0d68ffe020914e0191676f81c op_cert_counter: 0