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 5696686 Details
Epoch: 264 Number of transactions in block: 50 slot_no: 29016604 epoch_slot_no: 331804 block_no: 5696509 slot_leader_id: 4630639 size: 25241 time: 2021-05-09 17:54:55 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbcc660d4c128aff9395e3004e99b403174646a5a7569d8ea8ab7f00f8eab2c20Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1l8y7qlzln59h5rgr9fv42wecvwlar8lyfrnzd55ewjspwlf4vpkqz6tz5t op_cert: \x7e730b1a6ba21c39eeabcef2e29cf0f74204ae9521511efe4744e8e86c5ff6b5 op_cert_counter: 5