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 5498615 Details
Epoch: 255 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 24949967 epoch_slot_no: 153167 block_no: 5498438 slot_leader_id: 4624978 size: 1279 time: 2021-03-23 16:17:38 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3b61f60a77f9557190660250fc1dee27ecb1a3582388748aecc5beb8118e0bdcBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16un5trthq4l4fkfk076vcknwz9y4ftnqfzhwdz7u5rjwqay4c74q72h8lh op_cert: \x6daf1f14f44fbba2b2f6f116c6b06e284d6d19a53eb09f545bdb042d15c21d22 op_cert_counter: 3