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 5498558 Details
Epoch: 255 Number of transactions in block: 25 slot_no: 24948979 epoch_slot_no: 152179 block_no: 5498381 slot_leader_id: 5153170 size: 24706 time: 2021-03-23 16:01:10 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5c2a3c9a8ac3b9f73c237c8584e7ea2ffaf37c42776a69fa886f7a20234e74fcBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1t4z0yj73jcllp9zv800jcwp0szw9jhh53f3rfs0zgvcjfqfdy43sa5q9u3 op_cert: \x0d90d204ccdd13c204fcb30c497f3bcc8b1ab8ea0abf2c919970bef23be12276 op_cert_counter: 4