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 5598173 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 27 slot_no: 27004526 epoch_slot_no: 47726 block_no: 5597996 slot_leader_id: 5352761 size: 16447 time: 2021-04-16 11:00:17 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x80ddbc953c9c54472b8c9016f42ca1f622ece75d399eff2c78ee5532fa663754Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1f6za0myhypasnpld367u30wwz9eu5n242szqyq0m2j74nyuvuy8sgtyp39 op_cert: \x3c781bd088be5636f420494afd0b7b8ca1e3e1dda43657dcefb09e98fcc5d3a7 op_cert_counter: 1