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 4498682 Details
Epoch: 208 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 4653140 epoch_slot_no: 160340 block_no: 4498505 slot_leader_id: 4490689 size: 5719 time: 2020-07-31 18:17:11 proto_major: 2 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc1f7c4657d23999057d41c2d426a4e3a076976e53a1d07073835349b99f9d4deBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1nsd60hkw7uahngavcnq9g95tt2ewh477cwtmtdtnxk70g0cpdfxqknqup3 op_cert: \x452ff31b02a1c2d21c981c56fade107a0c5f8ecf7c89c992d39797344adb558e op_cert_counter: 0