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 5588548 Details
Epoch: 259 Number of transactions in block: 35 slot_no: 26798695 epoch_slot_no: 273895 block_no: 5588371 slot_leader_id: 4557809 size: 18404 time: 2021-04-14 01:49:46 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8a540f2c82d6934b8cb82ce6c0eef370716ff872e64b39107d2cfec8537c5f4eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1y9m9n3mky4vhmungyeavy3sz47ddes80semnueneuzpaj7s7u7fs5w8kzn op_cert: \x356bede45512e77f69e8bf259528da53171ec35594ec5046eb001a641a27f2b6 op_cert_counter: 4