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 5540362 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 25807698 epoch_slot_no: 146898 block_no: 5540185 slot_leader_id: 4555943 size: 5819 time: 2021-04-02 14:33:09 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa69cd4416b6acb695d06c534dfb57214f15a732f4f8f6b0327c2ffcbc7dbdcc8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1s6l5znqnxvqv3skkedlfrgy5h88gj9mkemnp2qncr53ltc9ejwfql96pyt op_cert: \x22b03e00b4c3b97a5415118697cefaaa81830f1a0d081db7dd789ae55f44d0bf op_cert_counter: 2