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 5540728 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 29 slot_no: 25815350 epoch_slot_no: 154550 block_no: 5540551 slot_leader_id: 5476184 size: 15328 time: 2021-04-02 16:40:41 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf816b7f10e3f6362c0f75234d374b04814c6936528ed5d11048863a3e2e5374bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16nc6275seaej24sjagspzm9mfgyc6fnu60ly8a84nzn0ygguv5esz9fcdv op_cert: \x11bfb33de92c7f46735ffd20be9bb978eb9d4524742ae7ee7cf0aebe0259ad47 op_cert_counter: 0