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 5596558 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 26970898 epoch_slot_no: 14098 block_no: 5596381 slot_leader_id: 4982656 size: 16329 time: 2021-04-16 01:39:49 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4ecc6dbed33313a3d373cc7f46b1cc323c4351cbbe933f097742fd96f1a253acBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ecurxr8yy02jck3tsgkd02pr956hdt456grgjfg65pxxe8lz2vnqk4namr op_cert: \xfa56c22eaa14731b04f3c9a58b2db40f0785a3ed3ec609b026e348032865dba1 op_cert_counter: 1