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 5497418 Details
Epoch: 255 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 24926442 epoch_slot_no: 129642 block_no: 5497241 slot_leader_id: 5033724 size: 9306 time: 2021-03-23 09:45:33 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x51c3d8325561252cc163a849f8e6d07ac27802e76ef015d7d54f0b4b692d2fd1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk14sdatp3uj8y8w96gxyefgrkvdmj9dptz207sg74x9q8evsxfxhmsmyexkj op_cert: \x40075bfee21be8d77da2b2958f411b1ecaa0e6128a296c3b35f537f57d1f8707 op_cert_counter: 0