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 5497993 Details
Epoch: 255 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 24937466 epoch_slot_no: 140666 block_no: 5497816 slot_leader_id: 4490689 size: 11028 time: 2021-03-23 12:49:17 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8420ed6a9b5d726e9d18180dc2224b9c59b6817f43ba399c49da2bb899b75385Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1nsd60hkw7uahngavcnq9g95tt2ewh477cwtmtdtnxk70g0cpdfxqknqup3 op_cert: \x06ad12eb80b1e9ad1ca3af9160cb460e97e56d1c4a9f132f9f18cef1f16d0dcb op_cert_counter: 2