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 5996576 Details
Epoch: 278 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 35059614 epoch_slot_no: 326814 block_no: 5996399 slot_leader_id: 4729625 size: 12214 time: 2021-07-18 16:31:45 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x182d444e26e568915140bf617e4bf1a58640f733e416a9b7acad3a3ca762677eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ax9fmc8m5z9rqumnr44cmq4s2v7h9w3c6hkge0rjkkaawfxm3eequvrll5 op_cert: \x5ec948de855f84919829d4b9770e95b8824f97c413a44864cc3cff61b6c2df78 op_cert_counter: 7