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 5490521 Details
Epoch: 254 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 24787451 epoch_slot_no: 422651 block_no: 5490344 slot_leader_id: 5038699 size: 6190 time: 2021-03-21 19:09:02 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3e8dad31a407975d07f9d37a489b8a6522129496d677367640908a0cebb0fb82Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ljg5dtevhz4d0mvyvsq0mckm0qn6g43fwm8cdxwf7kvcywdgfhzse4l4cm op_cert: \xa7cebff42f7bedc8274129df901e9496ed42b263d5b9b57761ff643c8648143e op_cert_counter: 3