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 5496862 Details
Epoch: 255 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 24915120 epoch_slot_no: 118320 block_no: 5496685 slot_leader_id: 4746643 size: 3290 time: 2021-03-23 06:36:51 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xcfa656e3a1db84d91c1449908276274652cbdd8021abf468c10ca19f2a6aac4fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mk6j3jjpufepqyy0x5yj0d8x972s6608z7g477pm6lrysc4dedqst3fqd0 op_cert: \x84ff9418addfdc57b74df55eaf3e6ada6ebd66fe6cad368cad3e6b272345295e op_cert_counter: 2