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 5597342 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 26987378 epoch_slot_no: 30578 block_no: 5597165 slot_leader_id: 4557996 size: 12558 time: 2021-04-16 06:14:29 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x80b6caff44507ec6fd28450b27cb378767b593f5f25fe16fc9e6bc0e3c81dab0Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wvlqe2qje36uz5mhk5hnzq4qwuhqs9y7dvawtueezakddmp8fl9qhadshx op_cert: \x8f281b8216772d2499f89540aada4850490f92514a88e2f75028fd6ea0632bbb op_cert_counter: 5