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 5498021 Details
Epoch: 255 Number of transactions in block: 31 slot_no: 24938096 epoch_slot_no: 141296 block_no: 5497844 slot_leader_id: 4698187 size: 19208 time: 2021-03-23 12:59:47 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1e4abdbb225a804ed29bb9ea4df2ff977d3c14f2109e273f9396f961f4f92b8cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dvzcmv5qwva562nswdd2m46uju7upjm7zk95pyr9cc3ewsqus2yq9autzy op_cert: \xcf17bbbe2a30be840dd180288fc8943e27df4f8019781f9097a6b2af254e3348 op_cert_counter: 17