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 5298626 Details
Epoch: 245 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 20874073 epoch_slot_no: 397273 block_no: 5298449 slot_leader_id: 4576802 size: 881 time: 2021-02-04 12:06:04 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8bdf17dc5f3a6371c4fa7e26603caf100c98b7e88a6f2f23d8d539992802f8ecBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1w8xts7fy2y9nrva4hdn302wq9rmq06ptp82s3m5tqs3qfsj8cl6qy0dyjj op_cert: \xadde30031a2d66ed8859957f57938a54a080505df234e3899d562ed4b70227df op_cert_counter: 3