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 5540612 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 25812876 epoch_slot_no: 152076 block_no: 5540435 slot_leader_id: 5051184 size: 426 time: 2021-04-02 15:59:27 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x00380d3c8f7a8115c3a221985097c0f8cbf67bdf724a438c657e6032030e95bbBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c0ra4syyv3px2nk45sayf2y99k2mu734tt6ldq22fn0u0sku02yqcp0ge4 op_cert: \x3ea39878ef3f503431173bea022b365a739845c0f1183de63ed5eaa78d1c5735 op_cert_counter: 1