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 5098993 Details
Epoch: 236 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 16845297 epoch_slot_no: 256497 block_no: 5098816 slot_leader_id: 4583744 size: 3152 time: 2020-12-19 20:59:48 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x08a7147bc0739855e45829a3dd3c41a07f58010b40daee097456e5fa5ef4787aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1u9sg4d2u8wqqaxp9uxfyh9ky4stt0fqmydvf4t8a8rn7suv6zjns2gavac op_cert: \x40cbac24c56c27727b0293d808953e2c0b278b496483b36b01d524c8c9bf6986 op_cert_counter: 3