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 5597704 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 26994778 epoch_slot_no: 37978 block_no: 5597527 slot_leader_id: 4981904 size: 6991 time: 2021-04-16 08:17:49 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x87303cc726b67b1a94e5549f1086acd766ff169a5bfd5be65db84ca19f008e6dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1rt4whnfaazzgxepp5vw0t59msuy8nyg9z6cadfdjxledq24wgrzsjttrjy op_cert: \xf031b5bdb525fa71d1b38c183efaca5274364bcf4b05f5936a6168ec0a6855a1 op_cert_counter: 1