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 5540348 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 25807486 epoch_slot_no: 146686 block_no: 5540171 slot_leader_id: 4898491 size: 797 time: 2021-04-02 14:29:37 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x85ba50e14a6761ece1886e6711c59e2516fae0afeac4c3f055ee939c611fdc20Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1s6fn2vjcg0nrn6uqhuf5wlu24wcdea23pmu5mumpm2g263rnh36slk0wej op_cert: \xe6f8b144ddb0f150c09e31f11f7be8b024e5d86431983279eef38d0492dcdc79 op_cert_counter: 1