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 5380498 Details
Epoch: 249 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 22528597 epoch_slot_no: 323797 block_no: 5380321 slot_leader_id: 5087834 size: 2277 time: 2021-02-23 15:41:28 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x69680096cc1efa2b1340a673b45ff8b7d64b7826617d556d23052f30e6eed6baBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c9enrdq7hcfhahy6nquktuucgtp59vz35x905mujjhugkj59y3pqs9sdk4 op_cert: \x9da7a3af9cd0c418a694d93b4b6ebc12cc774d63f6bd9a994198367c8366947f op_cert_counter: 3