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 5540418 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 25808893 epoch_slot_no: 148093 block_no: 5540241 slot_leader_id: 4555559 size: 5491 time: 2021-04-02 14:53:04 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x14ec708fb0b52d7ee37c33d6e7278650a690f364dc5ac76be5abcd7be5d89763Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wtjqjwqte7lj8h4z3hvyz7w97mnlgkj26mnhs79vlflus34u2txq3a5z6z op_cert: \xc8ac0d8bd79de02faae5e22f1b0ed51ff1637da18a3c532d758c3d46e5c7290d op_cert_counter: 4