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 5540336 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 25807290 epoch_slot_no: 146490 block_no: 5540159 slot_leader_id: 4983283 size: 2261 time: 2021-04-02 14:26:21 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5a9b5eec17b6da74e23dbeb154c79cdac7f6900ca56d6ead6b05f638dcdef139Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1rz8xg6xvljsywl5knlxycyzv3j0d3nyeezm6elzee958lzl9fvyqq353xd op_cert: \x3b08aecfc1759050ba01a0be3cc972d65d09745ac37fa6dbb7f99223a6f8d2d1 op_cert_counter: 2