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 5540892 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 25818972 epoch_slot_no: 158172 block_no: 5540715 slot_leader_id: 5155708 size: 4243 time: 2021-04-02 17:41:03 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x579046721fe6a2fbde50718764876d3e82c27207921fe7faf2611db306f40fd4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1trt3chpnwveum0lew3d6nl7c9836zhr4rczxgu4xlmqr2yd4l00spt8p9f op_cert: \x361dd0c4674adae30e2b3285acc8d94682a56698d671a00de1bc5adff5f7d161 op_cert_counter: 1