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 5596862 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 25 slot_no: 26977260 epoch_slot_no: 20460 block_no: 5596685 slot_leader_id: 5478911 size: 9321 time: 2021-04-16 03:25:51 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4dcc76da2e2d03b61b5ae9b0976da912e4fa84f75de45276a39cf7b8b807934bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1tc8zck7gg2tym8r9wkzypx5xtzakhqwcd4vnefmjc87368ar7w2qamky3n op_cert: \xeb2ce8b584b12738f5b9d573342f41a2d1c3c173ae73c208b7125c39298dd06c op_cert_counter: 1