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 5540844 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 25818001 epoch_slot_no: 157201 block_no: 5540667 slot_leader_id: 4555520 size: 1735 time: 2021-04-02 17:24:52 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa99eb97783964006c9aa425a941d5651702d3fdb7987a7b38c8f8f77b855dafcBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1w7d6wrmwnmv967fwczseale2mp9d8e977mfc8x0gc3um7nadj9fqvkecw6 op_cert: \x26dbdca65cf798748e5ac4a58cf263f5ad41d508dce7951dadc5d7888ec1f796 op_cert_counter: 5