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 5540813 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 26 slot_no: 25817417 epoch_slot_no: 156617 block_no: 5540636 slot_leader_id: 4571889 size: 10877 time: 2021-04-02 17:15:08 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x60248ac6ba30517aceb2a097e32280e2cc95d007a51374961a18db17c10cc3a5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk10sfjs922rrnx85gj7c9hffpnp04azhrnnc9nghrdajtchl8r205q79ucp0 op_cert: \x2d0486010c4b6f0e15ae0da36809ef4fa73af50921e0bc3086d0181160ac5ec0 op_cert_counter: 9