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 5696657 Details
Epoch: 264 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 29015720 epoch_slot_no: 330920 block_no: 5696480 slot_leader_id: 4960121 size: 5744 time: 2021-05-09 17:40:11 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xfccdd1df0cf278bf13ef915aaa5ef6f8f13e2ac95f2f6bfca991e34ed9d1f5ceBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cfgvfc8fxl43esu8evy9n6gj0nf48ve8464hsqy4t4c9e2qf3dqqx2976l op_cert: \x63ce7fd8a36c2fbf507c85ef691a806733fdf3dc0b108c725fb055b444cdf9cd op_cert_counter: 4