Be honest, how many times have you gotten up in the morning, made yourself coffee, just trying to start your day, enjoying those first few sips of coffee, and then brain fart, you start wondering how Cardano produces blocks? Yeah, I thought so! It’s a question as old as… well, 2017, when Cardano was born.
Fear not my under caffeinated friends, there is a cat poster out in the bright big world with a message written just for you. “Hang in there”, or something like that.
Let’s all just take a moment here and accept that I am not an expert (shocking, I know) and that everything I share is intended to help demystify big brained things and make them washable marker friendly. I’m not trying to end up overcrowding my head with more information, I’m more of a save the brain cells and embrace the fun kinda girl.
Now that the disclaimer has been had, and no one can accuse me of being brilliant.
Lets see if I can help you understand how Cardano’s block production works by using the most complex system we all know – the morning routine. Wakey wakey!
First things first, your alarm clock rings. It’s your wake-up call, pulling you from the comfort of your dreams, just like Cardano’s slot leaders, who are woken up to produce a block.
In Cardano, time is divided into “epochs”, which are further divided into “slots”, just like your day is divided into segments like breakfast, lunch, and dinner. These slots are like appointments; someone must attend each one to make sure it happens. The person responsible for this important task is a “slot leader”, Similar to how you, your grumpy self, are called upon by your alarm clock every morning.
Slot leaders are chosen at random, kind of like how some people get the short end of the stick and are morning people. They get their glorious call through a lottery system based on the amount of ADA they hold.
Let’s make things more interesting. The system isn’t entirely random. It’s probabilistic, meaning the more alarms a person has and sets, the more likely they are to wake up. This mirrors Cardano’s Proof of Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism.
In this analogy, alarms owned, and set can be equated to the amount of ADA (Cardano’s native cryptocurrency) that a stake pool operator holds or that is delegated to them. The more ADA they have, the higher their chances of being selected as the slot leader.
So, you’re up, albeit groggily. You stretch, check your phone, or, in my case, walk straight into a closed door because my brain and limbs are not fully up and running. You’re starting your day, which in Cardano’s world, equates to producing a block.
A block on Cardano contains transaction data, similar to your morning ‘data processing’. For instance, pondering over very important questions like “Why am I up at this ungodly hour?” or “Can I substitute coffee with Red Bull?” or “Ice cream works as creamer, right?” this is you, generating data for your brain’s daily block.
On Cardano, these blocks are interconnected, forming the blockchain, which is kind of like your memory string of all the crazy things you’ve done every morning.
So, you’re awake, you’ve scrolled through your phone, and you’re ready to kick-start your day. You step out of your room dressed and ready to impress, announcing to the world (or at least to your goldfish) that you’re alive and functioning. This is very similar to when a slot leader finishes creating a block and broadcasts it to the network.
Once the block is accepted, it becomes a part of the Cardano blockchain, just as your “has anyone seen my keys?” announcement integrates you back into the rhythm of your household.
STEP 4: Found them (AKA, Network Consensus)
Finally, you find your keys, exactly where you left them, at the bottom of your purse, or in your dump crap here dish. It’s a signal that sleep time is over, and you’re ready to conquer the world (or at least the morning traffic just so you could be ever so lovingly greeted by a stack of papers waiting for you on your desk.) Similarly, once a block is added to the blockchain, all nodes agree, reaching a consensus. The day can officially begin.
In the end, Cardano’s process might sound intricate, but it’s not much different from your morning routine! Both involve a system, processes, and a little bit of luck (like finding that crumpled $20 you thought you spent).
The next time your alarm clock rings, remember, you’re not fortunate enough to have magical woodland creatures who clean your house while you sleep or fat flying fairy godmothers who can wave a wand and poof you’re rich, nope no long lost billionaire absent uncle either who has left you his treasures in his will, you’re stirring coffee with a small hole forming in one of your socks, and eating cereal out of the box cuz dishes suck; you’re getting up to start your day, which is much like empathizing with a Cardano slot leader, ready to produce a fresh new block for the day! So, rise and shine, (ufff, I really should have considered writing this on any other day but a Monday.)
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Lastly, a heartfelt shameless plug goes out to my favorite project NftCreative. We just do things differently without the bullshit and the fuckery.
HUMPDAY SPACE 