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 5498658 Details
Epoch: 255 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 24950777 epoch_slot_no: 153977 block_no: 5498481 slot_leader_id: 5089867 size: 9496 time: 2021-03-23 16:31:08 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2c4174836af47428652581d928ba443b16670657992a36e4d2696e261faa731dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1p4xu9uzfun53a4ryvrjrgycsncyw7jkrrsrewaujs6nzjmersy5qh0udy6 op_cert: \x3233775fe651713ceafeebd4749b632f23aba6e8a856436251b7bc35dfc62d5f op_cert_counter: 1