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 5598303 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 27006929 epoch_slot_no: 50129 block_no: 5598126 slot_leader_id: 4574351 size: 5082 time: 2021-04-16 11:40:20 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x169aa52b91f74d92df5427c6990aa51dd2ffdf873288b3366c2bd6c0ac5987baBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qtwqlzlxyft2du85rjkdktysg7t690tvz04k3hy4nhdd333atfxqgvd7ax op_cert: \xe958f2eda5a24c948b21bfd512e1132a1ba1d67a19e5e28628a85c9203e1f616 op_cert_counter: 5