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 5596728 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 26974274 epoch_slot_no: 17474 block_no: 5596551 slot_leader_id: 4837352 size: 1882 time: 2021-04-16 02:36:05 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x26b9ea136f2e44f38345f773683939229e9dc1cdf22633d2ebdc711b09b1c07eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1zym4yqetzqmt67453drnq2nj80mj8zauprne3atdrwu6ypt8ny5sf5pk3n op_cert: \x579094e0415483d8157efd604283033b6a08bc82dc3882230f96210f896f7481 op_cert_counter: 3