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 5498332 Details
Epoch: 255 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 24943791 epoch_slot_no: 146991 block_no: 5498155 slot_leader_id: 5114286 size: 8969 time: 2021-03-23 14:34:42 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4547396369d5e30013322a41e7ced6055ac080000ab08ce4da7ed6f27454f7efBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15mraalry4lpekm27mzld8za8lw6dvufxq97w8c8sjkuvekkkg6hqsng65e op_cert: \x2f2bd8247d264543a5f93dcaeca0c9ce4af42d1145b71c31f39e2633b0dbf69a op_cert_counter: 1