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 5540398 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 25808590 epoch_slot_no: 147790 block_no: 5540221 slot_leader_id: 5023704 size: 3279 time: 2021-04-02 14:48:01 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x522b190e453c19fa04368d407278ad4b1bc2686699666d50ef08d9b1d4c602f3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1hyv7e53p7q8dhzn5z0gyj7qdr7yw0radkxyms55yvpet03gu70fs6uq96e op_cert: \x709bad7f838cd2b863a80a675df848746710a6ea6239915af4b81ee1a0f9f00c op_cert_counter: 1