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 5659697 Details
Epoch: 263 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 28261372 epoch_slot_no: 8572 block_no: 5659520 slot_leader_id: 4646548 size: 1016 time: 2021-05-01 00:07:43 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x52b1ec481cddda3f5e2a74c9a25b1aaef76908024b9a7d173e2cec1aa03574eeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gxlu5vrfkcnlg965j42egkv797g3up57argyta0xavucm7z7hvus0x0cgg op_cert: \x50b09de08e5b3a0cf793c19e793c8ab6ad8cf2939ce687cbd2d5488868462c54 op_cert_counter: 3