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 5540446 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 25809299 epoch_slot_no: 148499 block_no: 5540269 slot_leader_id: 5013653 size: 7651 time: 2021-04-02 14:59:50 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0e1befae2b3358e2c72dfd804cbecc7094183b337bdcb469427cdbdd29245cc4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mlrwae6fgd80ydtyntd7v8gr2rf6uuwr0t4h5wc0d0hl3su2ny9s22wfkg op_cert: \x9e7159f73128d648cdf1624eaffa14c7c93bce000a9ee54972e19cd137652c24 op_cert_counter: 1