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 5540491 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 72 slot_no: 25810412 epoch_slot_no: 149612 block_no: 5540314 slot_leader_id: 4555571 size: 40120 time: 2021-04-02 15:18:23 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x47e732f5364eb8511a830258c7faee8b4e48b95bfebb603624a98a191fc303a6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk168lpf4j8uqtt9c7wj7hq8ljhw8uha4lxr65sxt7n4p90lrd2k0esqs88gp op_cert: \xc0acdd37a3a025ec73c85e58b9915781bb7627c000ff4ccdd4df3171ddc48f49 op_cert_counter: 5