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 5488721 Details
Epoch: 254 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 24749828 epoch_slot_no: 385028 block_no: 5488544 slot_leader_id: 5194479 size: 8944 time: 2021-03-21 08:41:59 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x42ee19434799d049ea57add0d51f9efa29ffb1a6c7f2dcf2453c7ffee8153a7eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1psw4mlecqfq0ksa67t6yd5u2av0h00vstq0ymgt8hp7ctxv2w05qk5enpp op_cert: \xddae157a2b249d384467a5411000eea3f5542bfe415597a0837d39d374118888 op_cert_counter: 0