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 5597781 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 26996265 epoch_slot_no: 39465 block_no: 5597604 slot_leader_id: 4720522 size: 3528 time: 2021-04-16 08:42:36 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x30514576178f20e1d3b6086d1c4d68a35edf1147bcb4437c854abab4503a20dcBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xy73ny0ah33aqcnjy87vqv9wrjqdjzm0972j96udh5svdnzydnnqf7twzn op_cert: \xcda746bd09863ab873efc572b2776e20cd980879b7f1e3c88fd74b72f038f921 op_cert_counter: 2