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 5540824 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 25817522 epoch_slot_no: 156722 block_no: 5540647 slot_leader_id: 4559781 size: 833 time: 2021-04-02 17:16:53 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x11bc669856bbde885005a782110a7aaf3b9af4ef56fc707f0d2c40e1abb825bfBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mepfv252axgj9nhhqpn4kp0qxkmu8pu0hkgj43aq6whk2vrmp2qse6tsnf op_cert: \x3f5dc8c5fb8c106823cf6a8d1b658199930cab869b8659856db22a6b5228c814 op_cert_counter: 4