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 5597946 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 24 slot_no: 26999568 epoch_slot_no: 42768 block_no: 5597769 slot_leader_id: 4563878 size: 13979 time: 2021-04-16 09:37:39 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd9a6e80d38c0dc57ceab94591b1e3dd6966e9d78f275acd0a642535cae1265a7Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sr5n4gdd7p0cjvp7yfnz503nk689kvhmmstj402s4pljylxc5j9szl9epq op_cert: \x578f6f21895012ffc3f85edb6b365d4f46b108c3a5c20f10da968af9bfdc312e op_cert_counter: 3