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 5659554 Details
Epoch: 263 Number of transactions in block: 42 slot_no: 28258431 epoch_slot_no: 5631 block_no: 5659377 slot_leader_id: 4623044 size: 16263 time: 2021-04-30 23:18:42 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc9ff2c92ab8c56eff7ae6bc9cf9d9751e9f74724086a4722352a59472ef2ae69Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1zpefadlau0qqwyx84x622wmrfsf9gc08vsy88p0s2l8gemd93xpqth6mq0 op_cert: \xe7b8c92437edd667763c21f91d318ed36a6372d4d7e44755b7e3e4382d7a1b24 op_cert_counter: 13