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 5540351 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 25807511 epoch_slot_no: 146711 block_no: 5540174 slot_leader_id: 5535263 size: 2993 time: 2021-04-02 14:30:02 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3ae8600c05ed2a0195336222c0a7f5a81350fcd85765aa5f35fbb28025bc9a2eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12trd2vcm62wl4qahpwvz0xncmgx6ufwdqdzxzupu88p2srlyaqms3x4r8n op_cert: \x3ab3776d960a37004dfc0cb9ee1678a6359f1f091e3f1f1ea7bedd410df928aa op_cert_counter: 0