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 4499686 Details
Epoch: 208 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 4673220 epoch_slot_no: 180420 block_no: 4499509 slot_leader_id: 4490692 size: 501 time: 2020-07-31 23:51:51 proto_major: 2 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8ae5ab56514d33282db2419e2e424ae12df22c3bcf53686ec438a165197ec748Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dvwps7slwsmaq70yzsctd20u0v5mym5te8zxw2892yafxp8jyfhsvjjnqh op_cert: \x054c46e4df6deb5635a68aa4f5def14573a701ea937c3cde084f6e9ea0c4f16c op_cert_counter: 0