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 5597042 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 26981383 epoch_slot_no: 24583 block_no: 5596865 slot_leader_id: 4562160 size: 11173 time: 2021-04-16 04:34:34 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xee674a1beaedfa477c78def20403bdf8ee03d87ad83063debfbe6ad916bb4f9fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sgwyz2vnv02xj5a7e9rlfxqd8w8kjteemysw9sm6v2kyrfpz43uqsrqk0d op_cert: \xa1c71a2289f304a00f22d5a1f637aaf603505f549ddda0ac459b481fc8a67923 op_cert_counter: 2