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 5597696 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 26994661 epoch_slot_no: 37861 block_no: 5597519 slot_leader_id: 5023567 size: 18124 time: 2021-04-16 08:15:52 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf2578c98051bd6e4c1517ed5335696e8333f4c1232f747bfa60fd8455eddfdf5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk10ttqnxnc96308v9chdn4dscfwvjjhvymd8ta499eknp9v8903c6qlv5mve op_cert: \xc4e52c259953ed347619b0088711a37dd936b56739e94b4f6b017c5d9f35ac3a op_cert_counter: 1