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 5540987 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 25820971 epoch_slot_no: 160171 block_no: 5540810 slot_leader_id: 4985470 size: 4267 time: 2021-04-02 18:14:22 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5f0f8b3cc03a5ec88d626fd4b8ab0c69c73dd227f13bc3fd449b340d8cce691fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ygptnml8rkgw9dmguft6dr8dnjaapk80lsynqdwzl9aap08qg6mslll3fc op_cert: \xe166384e4504a02c9165bf236a72e8ad26cab482cd9addb4e6dc7ed6182761a1 op_cert_counter: 1