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 5540656 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 25813812 epoch_slot_no: 153012 block_no: 5540479 slot_leader_id: 5207599 size: 4548 time: 2021-04-02 16:15:03 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xca29abf2d080bfe0e93834d19f57314a34d3612772351ab9a2453939d782e116Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ajhyr7tkjhqwfpchghwlh4p747ud4xnmphunuyufh6ldly82wnfq9dqqet op_cert: \x298ffa46875e3e9d421baa4cd5093a87b7ca497c938ead136f9911f6b8799951 op_cert_counter: 1