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 5298604 Details
Epoch: 245 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 20873716 epoch_slot_no: 396916 block_no: 5298427 slot_leader_id: 4490690 size: 13966 time: 2021-02-04 12:00:07 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x57ff7c21c058c9d06c914957df62f1337b55712930483901fad0fa0bb600f48fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1jptpea0mf6k6w78s2eqxpwd4zw8mlfgvpe60cjtf2myvx5rnqxnqt57spl op_cert: \xa8e96a58f12d08163564eda1fc8a074b7a8d3d7221a85a019b51d89a41a45caa op_cert_counter: 1