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 5640557 Details
Epoch: 262 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 27871399 epoch_slot_no: 50599 block_no: 5640380 slot_leader_id: 4981372 size: 4292 time: 2021-04-26 11:48:10 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7e658e80357e3d12ddf145cd4d62364aeaaefdc1481aaa62128ad0f0b27a9cdaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1zex6fy5atu7e7l5akzqqjvzn80valqdng56hta8p3uyvajyhuxpsd7f3v3 op_cert: \x4257b75236dc2db34650ee7adc0121f7ccbbd5652bad9db35877efebb190b1fb op_cert_counter: 1