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 5540657 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 10 slot_no: 25813819 epoch_slot_no: 153019 block_no: 5540480 slot_leader_id: 5023593 size: 5212 time: 2021-04-02 16:15:10 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0e5465606e172a8e0d0beed591080ec429bde9baf5ccffcf48f47f7156e78677Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lr4hgxp9rstc9ndaq0p0zcyfkfk3j73rg5qdryza79fp5ut3jyssn225y6 op_cert: \x9d5c34502c45eda7e6ed1a72aca1bfc995ea9eb6c30e4330eb7bcc7d6272892f op_cert_counter: 1