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 5541074 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 25822561 epoch_slot_no: 161761 block_no: 5540897 slot_leader_id: 4563878 size: 9208 time: 2021-04-02 18:40:52 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd681ea7c1b0770bf66dc3a8a2eb7b0ff95e0e2b61a7c573487599bdd0395f648Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sr5n4gdd7p0cjvp7yfnz503nk689kvhmmstj402s4pljylxc5j9szl9epq op_cert: \x217ca702bd301633464a5b3bfe697971fa5c5384cb7ad98a548535023f6b0346 op_cert_counter: 2