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 5540231 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 25805049 epoch_slot_no: 144249 block_no: 5540054 slot_leader_id: 5377724 size: 3099 time: 2021-04-02 13:49:00 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2d4f9ed8b0d2cb0c17f33ba08b85720925002567c9a531dcac385c8642df6b86Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1esne3tupj5xu7c74c2m750xy80yuh5qcfwkg4w9rzvv447z97j4q3t5vaa op_cert: \x12cbdf725c9c57870e3a67e9782f29d5c0691eb1ced68e95049f16ffaddc9e4d op_cert_counter: 1