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 5488686 Details
Epoch: 254 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 24748872 epoch_slot_no: 384072 block_no: 5488509 slot_leader_id: 4583947 size: 4956 time: 2021-03-21 08:26:03 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x058b562076e8c6043a1e83560d39e50c9dfe54f7029cc3cfa30180964b4295b9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1yas5ajk2v0k68ut8waafhmsc0m0f0fuaud0hg7l0vdnpvhyt3kqqavs0l2 op_cert: \x62fb0be460b4f21d850db3ff9991494d8c05fc362e2df8b121a4d6429d4a9219 op_cert_counter: 5