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 5540508 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 25810747 epoch_slot_no: 149947 block_no: 5540331 slot_leader_id: 5386010 size: 4327 time: 2021-04-02 15:23:58 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x10b8329a45e44726ca0d7cbd543d628cd0dd501441241baefb36eb009281c55cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1su7cegz66ka4tasttne8krhrukh6mncrkcysf9wym5fnulew8e3s0nvuet op_cert: \x4e750232f1cb53a6f42e017528148f24cec871be411a1d271e9946d063321f8f op_cert_counter: 0