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 5540823 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 25817521 epoch_slot_no: 156721 block_no: 5540646 slot_leader_id: 5246212 size: 835 time: 2021-04-02 17:16:52 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xaafb904fe54c134690a29d8e066fcb405c6cef6f77477fbc0f9f56db6fcd88afBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1v3k7qj7gndzd9v9w99z4rlvqdw8n3cmn9f8w2pspgh36lld4gfqqemvh4r op_cert: \x74e8c1b44603f72e513312dd07371b2602bb6431adce6f349467f4aa689c1106 op_cert_counter: 4