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 4988904 Details
Epoch: 231 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 14586008 epoch_slot_no: 157208 block_no: 4988727 slot_leader_id: 4556656 size: 1161 time: 2020-11-23 17:24:59 proto_major: 2 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x23b16bc05edca9f61395d964cc22db58d26cd261132fd1efd17c632bc83bfd2dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1z9d3aew79800mw5u77qwua586uh3azmf32c5msmu9t2tacgdyv6smv0un9 op_cert: \x72e5c2ae7a1cf0688cfde2b2801fde057ed847219fea4517ca22557e03aef5b6 op_cert_counter: 1