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 5588517 Details
Epoch: 259 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 26798098 epoch_slot_no: 273298 block_no: 5588340 slot_leader_id: 4746508 size: 1612 time: 2021-04-14 01:39:49 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa420632a7f18b77a579c9e03abf104706ac2691d8f070d1bfacc68404e1c9cbfBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sscqzyu63clxvm48qar825vyh2u4zfpnz57m2calzwgufvpmgwqsldk7tx op_cert: \x03bb69b68a9fa9f597e41e0be3aab507a8e3ee700cd98cdd92dc65df58191fcb op_cert_counter: 2