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 5540552 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 25811460 epoch_slot_no: 150660 block_no: 5540375 slot_leader_id: 4998911 size: 2217 time: 2021-04-02 15:35:51 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x521a57bdbce13f7f80d3cdf3dc4e6045ec6782e3d85a2c105ed1be3efe9fe98aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cqvnc6lc46cgcktxe6g2uvah6dkape4lqznvhkkrg6y70d6srauscr23fk op_cert: \x10a7d7a0bb567aaa7cc3dc9099b1819f5116339ce9919181cfb1005cffe5c8cc op_cert_counter: 1