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 5497004 Details
Epoch: 255 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 24918167 epoch_slot_no: 121367 block_no: 5496827 slot_leader_id: 5205307 size: 3087 time: 2021-03-23 07:27:38 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd2df56cf46558d79e958f663bf2ca8a65ea3b5549ed5083650946d433fb2578cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xdcjhpxmgr0lfuvrtuje5xf60qz8ny7jqrtrp53r78jculyfk6hqhqd4mt op_cert: \x48ef359665ab68c1427936711111fcc840bc4f3f5d193f288c43c475a4f0e494 op_cert_counter: 1