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 5597677 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 26994449 epoch_slot_no: 37649 block_no: 5597500 slot_leader_id: 4555906 size: 666 time: 2021-04-16 08:12:20 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x98406d25aaa2ef3ac5a6f0406972299a4b560bd765b11c849575a07be4d68929Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ll92u8xvg9ysl55f5gwm7jnz7cm45ynhraf2kyw97knn5muvch6q3jw7cm op_cert: \x3bcf8b205f4f57033f94e80c23e6aed0c743ac569c1e136d4c0fb37419a808be op_cert_counter: 8