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 5498583 Details
Epoch: 255 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 24949449 epoch_slot_no: 152649 block_no: 5498406 slot_leader_id: 4582780 size: 12580 time: 2021-03-23 16:09:00 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xac9cf4f4103ce22b5cd6166f7b80af5f16941ea251fe3c19a2bb151aad989f8dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1k0dgfy8s6qmesstftv2ahsl5t7cawpheuvlhwchw7chkegjc373q9anwlh op_cert: \x65cdd7f6676f909c97989ca6d6c9b737d3f61b3ec134e64c7d4eff5a97c48b30 op_cert_counter: 4