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 5540771 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 25816342 epoch_slot_no: 155542 block_no: 5540594 slot_leader_id: 5045242 size: 23221 time: 2021-04-02 16:57:13 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xaf84cdcf6543309261abf25e26cfacfe905724c3d9e0a64c92f46ab572a77a24Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16u9vnslzgy03650yjltyft60mlschgp96zdd4np8ylkf5a8ugfrq8cq5dl op_cert: \x63a8f9118fa8efe6fea3cf96cb41451a1b8a1d7d33a8846bc87679887152b97c op_cert_counter: 1