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 5597238 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 24 slot_no: 26985278 epoch_slot_no: 28478 block_no: 5597061 slot_leader_id: 4605544 size: 17665 time: 2021-04-16 05:39:29 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x14c1e95bd8ac08571924f1e6c41e3b8d373343c24941d1f50b32e0feb0786e18Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1phkelt7mecrq8as6vxxdtsyhhe57jc6g0ph9llt5red73kr2k0tswymgjs op_cert: \x98e04e1a595cd24a134a0b48a1026ca95d2c06929ab66cf71c7bef0f64afeb32 op_cert_counter: 3