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 5540836 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 25817893 epoch_slot_no: 157093 block_no: 5540659 slot_leader_id: 4572864 size: 9187 time: 2021-04-02 17:23:04 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x47b7d4b93ad204818418cdbeba76baa451f190f276d5f63f5a33ff987304913fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dvumtjl4aw02v0wscezwtq93m47er2zktlwvha2s20fcrd9hdr3q2zsxy6 op_cert: \xd4a2e36218f13eaa22ce5c4e6a2caa3ff1faea1ecc9a055ad1800e47c9d9fb9f op_cert_counter: 3