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 5596420 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 43 slot_no: 26968527 epoch_slot_no: 11727 block_no: 5596243 slot_leader_id: 5262262 size: 17987 time: 2021-04-16 01:00:18 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x90078c99dff2a0522d6182b9521506f0e48a6f9820778cff58d5ba3de5a5f44fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15ftx5gldqydsqt8cwpkjdphnf542j5lcyt8qm7s3cslx8k9au6msa8jdnc op_cert: \x9b839e228a53893bf652e5ff693e0e931413bb4f97014b3f12c818576836074e op_cert_counter: 0