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 5597943 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 26999474 epoch_slot_no: 42674 block_no: 5597766 slot_leader_id: 4586341 size: 3251 time: 2021-04-16 09:36:05 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbeb3fb00ed13ba7b63257e45bf429ac0b0320924d8fdd59bfa69fd9483cfb8a5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1rpe8smeujgprr4zh7lkpap3uuafzf6tncgsnvl429tpmt6r35wyqy87aph op_cert: \xda4d4347ba0b2c2761c73a436d6208cad9633cde6c92cb62d47b914b508665dd op_cert_counter: 3