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 5491431 Details
Epoch: 255 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 24806503 epoch_slot_no: 9703 block_no: 5491254 slot_leader_id: 4567618 size: 5589 time: 2021-03-22 00:26:34 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe42222db7786f3165cbdd23c2e1ce3c370e073e21256ee1a1cec4e968e8fdf9fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16jyndrw736k8g9xmq7yumxp43fpv2g7h96vghzd982zs26keymwquf2vf9 op_cert: \x9cd2db5805e965caaaf9d67fd618e7e4fbb45582dba89aa2de01f73b8fb9b6d5 op_cert_counter: 3