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 5598166 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 27004374 epoch_slot_no: 47574 block_no: 5597989 slot_leader_id: 5164785 size: 10494 time: 2021-04-16 10:57:45 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9b8645c87f31c0bbadfcea0114fe965d7c46f81ecebed38afa2af939cee96a00Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk126m56rnv5pkp90fwv4laa742mg3x72vgg86glgc032uj6z90632s6nwm04 op_cert: \x1369fbb0f7e5d94fdcd76f9190352d51cba3ca6a165715e1eae6e98e07a97d74 op_cert_counter: 2