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 5541040 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 25822047 epoch_slot_no: 161247 block_no: 5540863 slot_leader_id: 4614591 size: 5184 time: 2021-04-02 18:32:18 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x98dfaa1d67ec7cb0bfbcb07cfe75c8f6a4b3d2bc77e352af313f827c6a7201f8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lnjfdgme34cun04rzmng683dq8u37wpu20ygrc0vz2fkun7jjmrsdaa3dx op_cert: \x550934bcf72090d6b1a14b63c7d317c054e05a30a0b538dd8e124c4d1280d4d7 op_cert_counter: 10