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 5540311 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 25806878 epoch_slot_no: 146078 block_no: 5540134 slot_leader_id: 4591434 size: 14811 time: 2021-04-02 14:19:29 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6bdc490e3c331ce7ae84c6ba97ff84783726fc1cecdee000cabc6730c9ba765cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15l5xndch25p7uvtarv7dyagh4zgkvk5yzzndttv99sswhn7umfcqe2xv0h op_cert: \x150c15d441785a02bb4d6732c3a1d46292a47df7cff4a6776370fcf9afc6d5d4 op_cert_counter: 2