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 5540699 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 27 slot_no: 25814727 epoch_slot_no: 153927 block_no: 5540522 slot_leader_id: 4564259 size: 16499 time: 2021-04-02 16:30:18 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x72e267d16ad749d2ab93d6f01c8f9778f3d0d651036e93557d1ce992dcaaa001Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gdvfyt2slq5gjh8qw6u83t693uh5u8au6cgyjzk5p8v5tmp7qzpqztxpq6 op_cert: \x5bcacbb32c53d306b9d58a67b43504c49748ec3630981aaeefa0cb8b5ed7f425 op_cert_counter: 3