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 5596439 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 26968859 epoch_slot_no: 12059 block_no: 5596262 slot_leader_id: 5041733 size: 6075 time: 2021-04-16 01:05:50 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xce638c351365499c68aa40374a5c98b5f7916c05d501855b8f3418422881304aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12cgf26uklmd7p87femu468zc5sjgyajrqdtyl9ad5u9l89kznx0s463ker op_cert: \xf6b8e6b7a28ef1243cfd8d5fe7da7739aa1b71bf9b6f95c43b8a72531dd36d94 op_cert_counter: 18