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 498643 Details
Epoch: 23 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 498681 epoch_slot_no: 1881 block_no: 498618 slot_leader_id: 7 size: 3290 time: 2018-01-17 08:11:51 proto_major: 0 proto_minor: 1 hash: \x67e98c9cf99430cf812cc9aaf370618e9aad5340084c6c2731fdac70fa6dd9cfBlock Operator
vrf_key: op_cert: op_cert_counter: