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 5490573 Details
Epoch: 254 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 24788619 epoch_slot_no: 423819 block_no: 5490396 slot_leader_id: 4630078 size: 5946 time: 2021-03-21 19:28:30 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x56b818b10a957a346dc03c70baa817ac079a7d2a72911594ec36068998a0c627Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk177scr85eeu7ma3uzx5d69pglcsqjcjaxrkwl228rd75phaxgetyqls072n op_cert: \xa264f2a30d8660a84ff136b6feef167863f71f4300428914467b910f3666c280 op_cert_counter: 4