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 5597008 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 30 slot_no: 26980603 epoch_slot_no: 23803 block_no: 5596831 slot_leader_id: 4556700 size: 21848 time: 2021-04-16 04:21:34 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7c9dd508bfe5861dfac08cdbeae31418169b0a05d48dee9e6bb27634db50690fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13h3fs42athsy0qxwg99u9uge7m0ul973exll0ga0g9uhwp3yfssshn9m34 op_cert: \x0684304d86ef8fe05fcacd8fb41f7face39b2a61cae1fc90d8a707963e9324d8 op_cert_counter: 3