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 5540888 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 25818899 epoch_slot_no: 158099 block_no: 5540711 slot_leader_id: 4555407 size: 1408 time: 2021-04-02 17:39:50 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc66aad5c523252e4d38db017909022f09fac43cd67369a0a0c0e511f4982e91dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dpe0n23qr4eqd4yq7f8q2zt5s7hxwvx2sh39p22j5jv9dya6j6hsavwa7s op_cert: \xb2ae541559eddd22247cec956a9b52657a084a43ac25c5290b1080c40a7031d2 op_cert_counter: 5