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 5598491 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 42 slot_no: 27010461 epoch_slot_no: 53661 block_no: 5598314 slot_leader_id: 4576881 size: 24899 time: 2021-04-16 12:39:12 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8bd0d978bd5e086c62ebafea00093fc15521ad53dfcc42b17afb48e1083fa7ffBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12985ww0m8m62c9swggnwnf36h38vc9jjd4mdvtcu3suuyvfcw97swhgdv8 op_cert: \xc1022ac89e29f72810edf9a3c95e7eb964c0be53b16bf8f2404716b75ff7c0e5 op_cert_counter: 3