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 5659698 Details
Epoch: 263 Number of transactions in block: 31 slot_no: 28261441 epoch_slot_no: 8641 block_no: 5659521 slot_leader_id: 5609238 size: 17187 time: 2021-05-01 00:08:52 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x17303040996c7ef59c49cff2637b45ff2db040b6de08fa20dfc46fa567650e92Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1a8xzrhazwu4p2g65jru99md7tf8cw6036fn08a96m8ua68rgjp5qzzwdgq op_cert: \x2963ea463c160fac57ff770ede38e93ee5f79d295b601d717ae15c76bbb20fd9 op_cert_counter: 0