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 5540674 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 25814124 epoch_slot_no: 153324 block_no: 5540497 slot_leader_id: 4572099 size: 6967 time: 2021-04-02 16:20:15 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x435bab995e8cf6e18923250b86987f58d976caed31c71dfbb5cfbf5c6e5fb1e8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1pkn26ke6fsvl7urh293pefm7qswvh0x6tf7sankxfyq7es4r6l0sph5z2x op_cert: \x4896e3101f82076ef5a715d3d494c457146312cd22490d1e6f3befe179312da5 op_cert_counter: 3