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 5540731 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 47 slot_no: 25815495 epoch_slot_no: 154695 block_no: 5540554 slot_leader_id: 5152360 size: 23158 time: 2021-04-02 16:43:06 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc53e9025f73039be1674966603b973ca0bff63fd6f197dabcceb9c98f233f8b5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1pmxyz8efuyj6eq6zkk373f28u47v06nwp5t59jr5fcmcusaazlmqhxu8k2 op_cert: \x7b6b05131d74b2b35b57e09b2a7019141c22516e2697fd2809e5b57a0904aefc op_cert_counter: 4