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 5498981 Details
Epoch: 255 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 24957862 epoch_slot_no: 161062 block_no: 5498804 slot_leader_id: 4556309 size: 4422 time: 2021-03-23 18:29:13 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4a4d417de25d134657d7338ce1a1e044667363784be6b73bdfd5647fb88d8fb7Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1d64n6vnj4en52mhn29vux22pjvwfn4fwaktv92xpk7n8gq8qwzyqvern57 op_cert: \x45883809a9b092ba917d8a7e0e0588f953dbf05bc0fb3d0e0ba8537732e56bd7 op_cert_counter: 3