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 5498143 Details
Epoch: 255 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 24940271 epoch_slot_no: 143471 block_no: 5497966 slot_leader_id: 5087965 size: 8689 time: 2021-03-23 13:36:02 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x665434100623b0411a021e018b8c7990d92274f12a27c7e7f013c92ab955a48bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1zplxgxams3dcm6wyzjyk32f4sfv30c3pah74zvk5t667tdp6vn8s3gcdyp op_cert: \xff591d7fffcba3b3d1168bd5928bf37022b284301ddcfd32b67a1a9f66220902 op_cert_counter: 1