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 5998608 Details
Epoch: 278 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 35101206 epoch_slot_no: 368406 block_no: 5998431 slot_leader_id: 5377724 size: 6815 time: 2021-07-19 04:04:57 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x82f8196e86586129360aac885fb51d9a054f39010f50436d503357d5ca4d46baBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1esne3tupj5xu7c74c2m750xy80yuh5qcfwkg4w9rzvv447z97j4q3t5vaa op_cert: \xe19c5cd86a96c01a518e48929d997ec21349ef31a90a1203e107efc427208ff0 op_cert_counter: 3