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 4996494 Details
Epoch: 231 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 14740561 epoch_slot_no: 311761 block_no: 4996317 slot_leader_id: 4490689 size: 846 time: 2020-11-25 12:20:52 proto_major: 2 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8d3dc6ae1132450eb64b253431cfdcbb98887b1f7e2b754f8c7c9534fe1931e0Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1nsd60hkw7uahngavcnq9g95tt2ewh477cwtmtdtnxk70g0cpdfxqknqup3 op_cert: \xe0251ab830b2cf83d3ec4af611c64acc17d6faf5233eeb8403087ca415350c2a op_cert_counter: 0