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 5540263 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 25805795 epoch_slot_no: 144995 block_no: 5540086 slot_leader_id: 4556815 size: 5649 time: 2021-04-02 14:01:26 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x94e34dcb704143ce26924c393f8356df3b080a15795c8faaa0ac6a00c8c2e133Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk168pda4ujuefar4vuqla3xtlec078hw8cc9fv2shrtwankda0s5fsje4hhk op_cert: \x6324fecbe022695a2eaf09fac34bd91d8a82944816a6ff860d6b9095feeed9f0 op_cert_counter: 2