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 5540639 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 25813354 epoch_slot_no: 152554 block_no: 5540462 slot_leader_id: 4565154 size: 285 time: 2021-04-02 16:07:25 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xcc6bb4c2ba4da876032e2d3851e3a74697ad5b25724fdf3ebb6eb578f2e10eadBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lucty2un9cjm6f2fkjrpwy2fz6hnv53s94ktlzhcwfldv9ucp7rq7xzdhd op_cert: \x14f9a306aec593f6dfae66d5d6fae1f80822cd4f57360350a8e8f56b70eab434 op_cert_counter: 2