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 5540782 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 19 slot_no: 25816661 epoch_slot_no: 155861 block_no: 5540605 slot_leader_id: 5007924 size: 20707 time: 2021-04-02 17:02:32 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x14683cfe972db1925375856662ba7127b62fe88c6a2352c34ab92c80884ae07fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c8l0gs0ycxze6dstt9akzszc40at6tyyfkavh0tvp5p6pnn62qes0uz966 op_cert: \x5a595506de96cdd635e5c4781f211704a70c00cfe82676e3aa4711a4210a2506 op_cert_counter: 1