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 5540340 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 25807340 epoch_slot_no: 146540 block_no: 5540163 slot_leader_id: 4555427 size: 3718 time: 2021-04-02 14:27:11 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xcb79b859768fdb5010122a2bed786d6f301ff2a4d18a4d65f93fcd39dd5820faBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17w5znxxj6l3ru8q3tw450a8axsgkp65x3t53fpkvlhuwuc57zdpqlaaczd op_cert: \x9a7b5a4b1a4ab36e487447ca77964af1409e6293ce1c5977c31a6491076446ac op_cert_counter: 5