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 5540359 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 25807617 epoch_slot_no: 146817 block_no: 5540182 slot_leader_id: 5065512 size: 4836 time: 2021-04-02 14:31:48 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc480e2ebdfda00fca50a1f60c057c14cb511db5f02c80270d26a46fdc768007bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19ylxy0duvddyf6293qudrx3l6g6z8m2lephxyw7v2gvtddmm8grq69uara op_cert: \x326d4874cc1e83b4f53ec29d9c35a29a885a7890d9e64aec654801811a564c78 op_cert_counter: 9