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 5540849 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 25818127 epoch_slot_no: 157327 block_no: 5540672 slot_leader_id: 4597776 size: 5643 time: 2021-04-02 17:26:58 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa269d8d4902489a9fb57218f7ca535d1e169cd5fdf1a962bda8d9dce7ace062bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12yhs6pf5krcnnaedcvex2puny3eda8p9n349ug3rlxf8y63pph9swqv8x5 op_cert: \xd3dce4ab87aede674a44ebadfbf5739929c5a0af5af99afde5e9ca1cb7ca9478 op_cert_counter: 2