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 5498320 Details
Epoch: 255 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 24943530 epoch_slot_no: 146730 block_no: 5498143 slot_leader_id: 4720522 size: 2309 time: 2021-03-23 14:30:21 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5fbb1b9688f95b9e8bdf040c82bd9f4acc7bbe4f80e8df5c1da22708dedbca4aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xy73ny0ah33aqcnjy87vqv9wrjqdjzm0972j96udh5svdnzydnnqf7twzn op_cert: \xcda746bd09863ab873efc572b2776e20cd980879b7f1e3c88fd74b72f038f921 op_cert_counter: 2