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 5540837 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 25817901 epoch_slot_no: 157101 block_no: 5540660 slot_leader_id: 4609503 size: 2505 time: 2021-04-02 17:23:12 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2dead41732ccb0809a39001575f9cccf8b7aa87424ef240bc2e318588f73c328Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk14n7udujh4mljhelknpxmkupq9n64uzzvdstnuqfqslxy9h47fq3q2hnxsk op_cert: \x6c1e5a58de5101360b6ffbe1040797d58dbd8f8a1f1a5db22c6347f0fdfbf94c op_cert_counter: 3