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 5540399 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 25808615 epoch_slot_no: 147815 block_no: 5540222 slot_leader_id: 5449546 size: 5604 time: 2021-04-02 14:48:26 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x13cbee665b9bbf75cb371fde8f598e03862396afc13a9f99d85e76d62651b1deBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk172q3w6px4earjr2vmv3mzhuxwpu0vp7z2gwgmyf434ewezh40q0qc60uz4 op_cert: \x57658830d036dd7a10dce791a50a8e9550b361dfcbb6286106c24a5fff887fe6 op_cert_counter: 1