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 5540555 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 25811558 epoch_slot_no: 150758 block_no: 5540378 slot_leader_id: 5453531 size: 12376 time: 2021-04-02 15:37:29 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf99dde2d59d0e565cacead35f843680e6ba5e4816dd3eebf8e84ffeddbc3671eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1p8q20dhxk077cvdqhvc7s4gnasn845pryu32mzyf7x07c7snpkqss68e3p op_cert: \xeaeaae144c7787632434000b2507781a53e0108f6cf1b6e12a76ee455e31c6e8 op_cert_counter: 0