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 5494521 Details
Epoch: 255 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 24868192 epoch_slot_no: 71392 block_no: 5494344 slot_leader_id: 4555464 size: 8678 time: 2021-03-22 17:34:43 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x059c8b1ebb931f4ee140ea162dc53ff85e05931717714bd0d156c1a802f05b69Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1t39ch0g3yx7y03ajax26g4ht3slu5h36v38dk6d8qj4l4dc2a5yq3rk9gd op_cert: \xe4c3789c6841f09c9771233541e12e6ae08396534406f0d0966b73fce8f5d059 op_cert_counter: 2