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 5540482 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 25810170 epoch_slot_no: 149370 block_no: 5540305 slot_leader_id: 5023459 size: 3101 time: 2021-04-02 15:14:21 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x41da236690093a5a01ea0cb55043d31c6d6bbadad08d9b957121419790121520Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1k5v8vk25xfezvtvc6a9kj9rnahkhuylwfm9k3ma6p0ukmh0wck6su7wl5c op_cert: \xd3c7f93b5d3c2a47d146c80ceeb03252214c94d999f2d216824f7c59b39b0356 op_cert_counter: 1