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 5996559 Details
Epoch: 278 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 35059310 epoch_slot_no: 326510 block_no: 5996382 slot_leader_id: 5045242 size: 2192 time: 2021-07-18 16:26:41 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x66d3801ef6524f255d807983351214375ab61d92397910541d73d485fb931c47Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16u9vnslzgy03650yjltyft60mlschgp96zdd4np8ylkf5a8ugfrq8cq5dl op_cert: \xeeca8eb250c1ee5896cb678ea001428414c73b42bb62f228ce4f1606bb98f75f op_cert_counter: 4