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 5597655 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 36 slot_no: 26994026 epoch_slot_no: 37226 block_no: 5597478 slot_leader_id: 4556416 size: 34538 time: 2021-04-16 08:05:17 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x68226758be95cd9069401e99f6a269aa0e547c1d5ec69e6ac7581303014ead5aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17d54jy4dkx773tg6flm43qwj7v6ahf208wkats9ugt33mnvys7xqxpqc76 op_cert: \xf211090c948e5fc8e5bd5723bdc156ee1de7b4ec2ce81d81bad14ee0cac208e3 op_cert_counter: 4