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 5597348 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 26987523 epoch_slot_no: 30723 block_no: 5597171 slot_leader_id: 5189940 size: 6177 time: 2021-04-16 06:16:54 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe958760e65c1480add124413ad929da9872055964e5b65ead31ed833ffcc0a7aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1x4zh0v8r5ct4dylwnd752zdv3gy3q6cuq86hxs44krmxaeuckf7sne2gty op_cert: \x92026555250a9dbab1b8384e31941503325e46d7d3a323150547e20b254274d3 op_cert_counter: 1