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 4498509 Details
Epoch: 208 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 4649680 epoch_slot_no: 156880 block_no: 4498332 slot_leader_id: 4490691 size: 1703 time: 2020-07-31 17:19:31 proto_major: 2 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf300ca4ff523b3b1cf460b18e21ae6719661ad4a718f58f9973e1ad461da9caaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1f8d5uguzjzvmnwpu7cfx0x3eq4umsmqkdqk4m0w4ftsk07h9e99sxnsyzn op_cert: \x80464f344a72c39ba0894ae4b50fc70f05c820c9a05d1bbe628a1384669503ae op_cert_counter: 0