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 5596696 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 26973731 epoch_slot_no: 16931 block_no: 5596519 slot_leader_id: 4731801 size: 8994 time: 2021-04-16 02:27:02 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd2cf33bd1b2fb757c0d361c5cc18c7262e5fd34b58d0bd2167ff47bd74a3c77cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wme2l30cnp46hvvyc68gqzzke0srfuwl7vld3s7usmp4cpvrcagq2hxlg0 op_cert: \x08da73534604b0de4f9a396cba4bb31fb47f9f5817ef36caa714b22241bc1bd3 op_cert_counter: 2