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 5597478 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 26990130 epoch_slot_no: 33330 block_no: 5597301 slot_leader_id: 4581183 size: 2574 time: 2021-04-16 07:00:21 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4ecb653ea4ce853be903318bc1533ce0247c306c45490519b0ebc7d606c775f3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1996zz82a0vpw9tdarvjs64prxaukc7fh7h4064mduuj4nclyzmcsmhm5ut op_cert: \x4cd20c48864beaf232e0af7dd9875122fd42e1bdd59292a8282998ec17c14c98 op_cert_counter: 4