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 5498161 Details
Epoch: 255 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 24940587 epoch_slot_no: 143787 block_no: 5497984 slot_leader_id: 4561262 size: 4991 time: 2021-03-23 13:41:18 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x18bf8fc117cad70062e23c22fca65450be22d0b9882de8f59baba7fd81622451Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12ak5n6v2m74k2c3ac9hellewm5ssarw363vgh7hc4ujshmdf60rs2furrn op_cert: \x16f86d2f0a16dbcddbe44a30faa70a81ac815f6e35ef8e477d580bb79e25eb4e op_cert_counter: 7