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 5740549 Details
Epoch: 266 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 29903879 epoch_slot_no: 355079 block_no: 5740372 slot_leader_id: 5497979 size: 17615 time: 2021-05-20 00:22:50 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa4aebf0177f8d282011abf19071b0478b308202729450562a465652a9b9d84bdBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1q7ry9nnzqcjhq23xw30mvvp66rpwlznq8ha2j63hel377gwd0mms52kge4 op_cert: \x95b624d4e10e99d01f407e218dfd9f497819e8d718b5772ae0e55a07b6e809a5 op_cert_counter: 1