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 5540417 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 25808876 epoch_slot_no: 148076 block_no: 5540240 slot_leader_id: 4555410 size: 6386 time: 2021-04-02 14:52:47 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1083147a90ccd3416b802b9e0207d0a51949db3c7e14b4532fff59333b68fab5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19qrmxdq296y6uw72dhjauh58ne2eatquhpnwlpp7cr33re83th2s6rkfka op_cert: \xe36ee8a819bd66aa06223e1ee03e527dc20f955a2c75e6ab605cc7fa3e3c9ea6 op_cert_counter: 5