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 5540342 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 25807359 epoch_slot_no: 146559 block_no: 5540165 slot_leader_id: 5207599 size: 400 time: 2021-04-02 14:27:30 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd74ea56d31dfba207a17724baeefd0957820b6d0f18818078678a7d89daa51b1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ajhyr7tkjhqwfpchghwlh4p747ud4xnmphunuyufh6ldly82wnfq9dqqet op_cert: \x298ffa46875e3e9d421baa4cd5093a87b7ca497c938ead136f9911f6b8799951 op_cert_counter: 1