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 5540205 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 25804645 epoch_slot_no: 143845 block_no: 5540028 slot_leader_id: 4581183 size: 17544 time: 2021-04-02 13:42:16 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x642c66dc0d14f1618ceb522bea157531f6d209ba4c8a3dd2e7af51139c273b23Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1996zz82a0vpw9tdarvjs64prxaukc7fh7h4064mduuj4nclyzmcsmhm5ut op_cert: \x4cd20c48864beaf232e0af7dd9875122fd42e1bdd59292a8282998ec17c14c98 op_cert_counter: 4