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 5597349 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 26987536 epoch_slot_no: 30736 block_no: 5597172 slot_leader_id: 4598725 size: 3042 time: 2021-04-16 06:17:07 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe49e9a0c17fc0b2cbc08e0a0f2a7d8773ebee78fec706af32095f7fc509c7bb1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ezeef5vfdy0nu0lfpkwxf6m7y4sg2m590dtd78zsjts59jskdttq2hyj4w op_cert: \xb7b4e66bf9991e14bb3cb74912b08b5a4cb1e183b9869c2097e5155f75749d06 op_cert_counter: 3