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 5540997 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 25821129 epoch_slot_no: 160329 block_no: 5540820 slot_leader_id: 4773451 size: 5725 time: 2021-04-02 18:17:00 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x01f1e24cb4fa1892a860ca0aff26f2d0423a540f7e17eeba7b4d47dcdf7226f6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1v906pdj4kf7drq0hd0l960wn8kkf4339wsvr28e2g22lag3q2mrsr49yfx op_cert: \x77b86a765846f4e13c62142ca48d5901a13e85b85b2163355c062010ae2a134d op_cert_counter: 1