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 5598097 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 27003017 epoch_slot_no: 46217 block_no: 5597920 slot_leader_id: 4558590 size: 13004 time: 2021-04-16 10:35:08 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4b1ca9ddf382513f2f496b9f74e88facfbee188a4d0831c0bd91780227ae09f6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12ply07ya8jzhyqmpcystrm0f4rp853cymcsn33kpx7l9s6d822gq37n0fg op_cert: \x183b34c9b5c27e4e6765ad9a23186dd115b90fefbe2ff9499f5339fd61300c18 op_cert_counter: 4