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 5596414 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 24 slot_no: 26968421 epoch_slot_no: 11621 block_no: 5596237 slot_leader_id: 4556210 size: 9491 time: 2021-04-16 00:58:32 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe09b86d7cde7ae0b1cbeaf159dd13d0ff60563df80abc3f0cfabe06480ce17aaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wf2k6lhujezqcfe00l6zetxpnmh9n6mwhpmhm0dvfh3fxgmdnrfqkms9ty op_cert: \x2ff2a7742fdb2d162798ab6ec8552eb2f27b9ccb7ffdf668e147b58a5420f9e7 op_cert_counter: 4