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 5597843 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 26997296 epoch_slot_no: 40496 block_no: 5597666 slot_leader_id: 4982211 size: 11093 time: 2021-04-16 08:59:47 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xfecfaa8778d59dce0c552d42c88fbf09e3d87abe2762a6ada7f6658663eb798aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk126y5wz3x9gneeamk24lqg9lxc58jtcfsklqrrstm3w76dfrfdjwsqvqj4d op_cert: \xcad1141c17e9e85eca89423470760c295a95e48e698fa29d6f17cf1852cc9ec6 op_cert_counter: 3