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 5540304 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 25806730 epoch_slot_no: 145930 block_no: 5540127 slot_leader_id: 5003953 size: 4567 time: 2021-04-02 14:17:01 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd46089b97455191d33c093f9551f29b42f928a0bfec7cfbe3a1876b038008377Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gkqrkn2hem278py2d44wak5496r4kmv3nu55mycwj7hf659evtqs5t750t op_cert: \xfd9e85d6ae9fbe29302a75ed96ea97aa644fd48c6b695a115a540e44c196fc31 op_cert_counter: 1