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 5540734 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 25815567 epoch_slot_no: 154767 block_no: 5540557 slot_leader_id: 5038629 size: 10359 time: 2021-04-02 16:44:18 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa5e047561436a5e53301204e0ff96af41f27408e65b2b053c9e0ec2a32e16ddaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1225yd8gdk4pd4jujmh976nrnskrh5hnkgexjwkmqxwml67tjfm9qxaypnx op_cert: \x38cf4c482f3357b493d858cb0bd7436b15c5d8d2bc4fd2d2809267fd84ef7cdc op_cert_counter: 1