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 5540650 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 31 slot_no: 25813527 epoch_slot_no: 152727 block_no: 5540473 slot_leader_id: 4609503 size: 16576 time: 2021-04-02 16:10:18 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x04147daeecd5db970e4a140c32dba7a832d268ec111da6b5e35416965898ec2aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk14n7udujh4mljhelknpxmkupq9n64uzzvdstnuqfqslxy9h47fq3q2hnxsk op_cert: \x6c1e5a58de5101360b6ffbe1040797d58dbd8f8a1f1a5db22c6347f0fdfbf94c op_cert_counter: 3