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 5498834 Details
Epoch: 255 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 24954877 epoch_slot_no: 158077 block_no: 5498657 slot_leader_id: 5027344 size: 2271 time: 2021-03-23 17:39:28 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x17064ba018cdfdb97d480e46bfb88c929970b2cc4c5f9d15d91c577ef68658f1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1038jvydsxw53xul39j7zmyuxg9fuq4w53xcezywqpf5nxldydcwsj6mmjr op_cert: \xa3d79d8c45d60f9871437f004afb7a3846fe89dce0c926fb3795ff61caa6ef3d op_cert_counter: 1