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 5596898 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 26978126 epoch_slot_no: 21326 block_no: 5596721 slot_leader_id: 4557401 size: 15192 time: 2021-04-16 03:40:17 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x60343f0fe2de2332f016c22dc8abad3b803fe77114bdfb1fc9091cfc3f0f660eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1m3gs8np7hsw3lrcwrfgvl2c2dsmrdysdmnwlndpyu5x4mwqumpqsx8582a op_cert: \xf66e7644b4533cb5955696e7642450c586842f3ba36136c0a53da4244ccbd915 op_cert_counter: 7