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 5596581 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 26971389 epoch_slot_no: 14589 block_no: 5596404 slot_leader_id: 4557937 size: 10460 time: 2021-04-16 01:48:00 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6e2264718f7b9d2339115b26d5a499390efd02620523ec5b26615669a2c1acc3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1z3qaj95vx6mhmzcj63c7f9v4am60fhlz55w5m26wk4nnl0tfc33q4s5h8m op_cert: \xf20159459e2f2843938cd909f3996e7357630ec704bab84969800e01b78b2493 op_cert_counter: 4