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 5596294 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 26965584 epoch_slot_no: 8784 block_no: 5596117 slot_leader_id: 4577416 size: 1702 time: 2021-04-16 00:11:15 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc15b08a33fd70412f5c073690faa0ede52d9d46bf749001759b18b6f35f9cd1dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mfvuefhs88w7u5ue5qjm4c85ntamlhcnmvw2qdjwkpcena2pfcdsn97av0 op_cert: \xa28fb90aa76ecab2f331353fdc38d2eb3abd7aef13d8710f603d1928afa4881a op_cert_counter: 3