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 5540994 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 25821072 epoch_slot_no: 160272 block_no: 5540817 slot_leader_id: 5152773 size: 14187 time: 2021-04-02 18:16:03 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb300ec1763f170bb5950e8fca3f71a95debefb9ac9392c0008d1f0a461c9df73Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1t8plepcw04sd9uv7wjlpjkkxmrtxmwrjufujrad4thxsr3savljsuyslvf op_cert: \x5d9f68587bfce4388f69dae305d0249ec704d638c50a39c5e3ab246972a6ab7b op_cert_counter: 5