We did our best to include on this page all thenecessary information to get you started with staking on Solana. If you have any more questions or think there should be any additional info here please keep in mind that you can use our chat in thebottom right corner.
Basics
- What is staking
- Staking timeline
- Choosing theright validator
- Data Centers
- How Does theValidator Score V1 Work?
FAQ - validators
FAQ - validators- How to become avalidator?
- How is my Personal Data protected?
- Why is my validator marked "private"?
- Why do I see withdrawer warning next to my validator?
- Why do I see admin warning next to my validator?
- Why can't I see my validator on main page?
- Why do I see old software version of my node?
Dictionary
- Commission
- Epoch
- Root Distance
- Vote Distance
- Skipped Slot %
- Delinquency
- Stake Concentration
- Stake Pool
- Gross ROD
FAQ - Stakeholders
- How do I start staking?
- How to find thebest validator?
- How often can I change thevalidator?
- How often are thestaking rewards paid out?
- Where can I find theAPY?
- Can I add a validator to my favourites?
Basics
What is staking
Staking is theprocess of delegating your SOL tokens to one or more validators, who process transactions and keep thenetwork secure. Validators earn rewards for their services and delegators then get aproportional amount of therewards less thevalidator's commission.
In order to delegate your SOL tokens, you need tocreate aseparate stake account and choose avalidator to delegateto. You can do it either from command line interface or by using one of thesupported wallets.
Staking timeline
After you delegate your SOL tokens, you need towait until thenext epoch for thechanges to take effect. Throughout theepoch validator is voting and generates new transactions according to theleader schedule and only after one entire epoch ends, thereward is added to your staking pool and is automatically delegated to thesame validator.
Please note that during thepending epoch your tokens cannot be withdrawn.
If you wish to undelegate your tokens from thevalidator, you need to wait untill theend of theepoch. In this case your last reward will be added to your stake account and will no longer be delegated.
Choosing theright validator
There are acouple of things to consider while choosing theright validator to delegate your staketo. In order to be able to vote properly and create new transactions it needs to have constant high speed network access and good overall performance. Another important thing is thecommission validator takes to cover it's costs - theless thebetter. You should also check if validator is credible and operates in atransparent manner.
Performance - we're gathering some statistical data todetermine how well thevalidator operates within solana network. Root block distance and vote distance show how far behind it is from thetop of theblockchain while theskipped slot % measures thepercent of thetime that aleader fails to produce ablock during their allocated slots.
Commission - theimportant thing tonotice here is that commissions can be changed in any moment, so it's crucial tocheck for particular validators commission change history and see if there's no malicious behaviour there. Some of thevalidators are offering 0% commission as anintroductory offer. It's agood idea to contact them to see when theoffer expires and thenew rate at that time.
We can help you track commission changes of the validators. To get email notifications, create an account and add the validator to your favourites.
Reliability - if thevalidator has all theinformation filled up, has its own website and no malicious behaviour in thepast is detected it is more likely that it cares about reliability and thus is more trustworthy.
Data Centers
For thesecurity reasons it is recommended that thevalidators in solana cluster are spread among as many locations as possible. It reduces thepossibility of network collapse in case of adata center breakage. On our data centers page you can examine thevalidators distribution between data centers and organisations Autonomous System Numbers (ASN).
How Does theValidator Score V1 Work?
We track validator performance over several dimensions and assign ascore in therange of (0..2) for each. thescores also correlate with colored icons: is excellent, is OK, and means there is room for improvement. Thescored dimensions are:
- Root Block Distance
(2 points) means that thevalidator median block distance is at, or below, thecluster median.
(1 point) means that thevalidator average block distance is at, or below, thecluster average.
(0 points) means that thevalidator average is higher than thecluster average.
Themedians and averages are calculated over atrailing 2-day period and do not reset with each epoch. - Vote Distance thescoring rules are thesame as Root Block Distance above.
- Skipped Slot %
For this metric, we track atrailing 24-hour moving average of theskip rate. Themoving average (MA) is then compared to thecluster median(MA) and cluster average(MA). On thecharts, adotted line shows thespot reading that resets with every epoch. Thesolid line shows the24-hour moving average.
(2 points) means that thevalidator skipped slot % is at, or below, thecluster median.
(1 point) means that theskipped slot % is at, or below, thecluster average.
(0 points) means that thevalidator average is higher than thecluster average.
Themoving averages reflect theprevious 24-hours, and thespot reading resets with each new epoch. - Skipped After %
The Skipped After stats show the performance by the leader AFTER the designated node. Poor performance in the Skipped After category may indicate that your validator is slow to propagate blocks to the next leader. Slow handoffs from one leader to the next will result in more forks and missed slots by the rest of the cluster.
This metric is informational only, and is not included in total score for now. - Published Information
stakeholders or delegators want to know who is running anode. ThePublished Information Score measures thecontact information that thevalidator has posted to theblockchain using the `solana validator-info` feature.
(2 points) means that thevalidator has published all four data elements (Name, Avatar, Website URL, and Details).
(1 point) means that thevalidator has published two or three parts.
(0 points) means that thevalidator has published only one, or zero, pieces of contact data. - Software Version
This score is based on theSolana software version currently in use on this node.
(2 points) means that thevalidator is using thecorrect major, minor, & patch versions.
(1 point) means that thevalidator is using thecorrect major, & minor versions (but not patch).
(0 points) means that thevalidator is only using thecurrent major version (or less).
This score is updated as soon as thevalidator starts voting with anew software update. - Bonus Point
Security and operations are acritical component of awell-run validator. I am assigning one (1) point when avalidator has provided me with aURL to their web page related to security policies. Please be aware that I am not evaluating thecontent on that web page. I will merely confirm that theweb page discusses security or operating procedures before posting thelink to this site. Validators that use mods with anunproven effect on consensus are always assigned with bonus point 0.
(1 point) means that thevalidator has provided avalid URL.
(0 points) means that thevalidator has not published adescription of their security policies, or validator uses software modifications.
Validators, please directly contact Brian Long to provide theURL. - Stake Concentration is acontra-score and will DEDUCT points from avalidator's total score:
(-2 points) means that this validator is one of thetop 33% active stake holders.
Theconcentration of stake is abad thing on adecentralized proof-of-stake blockchain. There is no deduction of points, and no icon, if thevalidator is not one of thetop 33% active stake holders. If you are astakeholder who is delegating stake, please consider high performing nodes without high stake concentrations. - Data Center Concentration
This is another contra-score that will DEDUCT points from validators located in data centers that host ahigh percentage of other Solana validators. Ahigh data center concentration means that aproblem with thehosting provider could take many of thenodes offline.
(-2 points) means that this validator is in adata center with ahigh percent of theactive stake.
If you are a stakeholder who is delegating stake, please consider high performing nodes without ahigh data center concentration. - Authorized Withdrawer Score
Validator identity matching authorized withdrawer is aserious security risk, eg. if someone hacks into your validator, they can steal from thevote account. Keep thewithdraw authority key offline or in amultisig to minimize therisk.
(-2 points) means that this validator identity is thesame as theauthorized withdrawer identity.
- Consensus Mods Score
This is another contra-score that will DEDUCT points from validators that appear to use software modifications with anunproven effect on consensus. Avalidator's most important job is to form an agreement about thevalidity of theblockchain. If over 34% of validators are using non-standard consensus logic, thecluster can stall if thevalidators cannot reach amajority consensus. In such an event, theonly way to resume is to restart after slashing thestake of thevalidators with modified software. Stakeholders who delegate to these validators should be aware of asmall risk that they can lose funds.
(-2 points) means that this validator appears to use unproven software modifications. Validators that use mods with anunproven effect on consensus are also assigned with bonus point 0.
Themaximum score is currently eleven (11) points:
Dictionary
Commission
Commission is apercentage value set by avalidator to determine how much of therewards earned does it collect in order to incur thecosts. It's automatically deducted from your rewards pay outs. It can be set anywhere between 0% and 100% and can be changed in any moment. Click here if you want to know more about current commissions.
Epoch
Time determined by number of slots, for which theleader schedule is valid.
Root Distance
Measures themedian & average distance in block height between thevalidator and thetower's highest block. Smaller numbers mean that thevalidator is near thetop of thetower.
Vote Distance
Is very similar to theRoot Block Distance score above. Lower numbers mean that thenode is voting near thefront of thegroup.
Skipped Slot%
Measures thepercent of thetime that aleader fails to produce ablock during their allocated slots. Alower number means that theleader is making blocks at avery high rate.
Delinquency
If thevalidator is not active in thesolana network it is considered to be delinquent. Short-time delinquencies are considered acceptable, since it occurs while software updates or temporary internet outages.
Stake Concentration
Solana is adecentralized proof-of-stake blockchain. It is best for thenetwork and for those who uses it, that thetotal stake is divided among as many validators as possible. Keep this in mind while choosing avalidator to delegateto.
Gross ROD
Gross Return on Delegation is a percentage value that represents total return from Solana network to both validators and stakers. It is calculated as follows:
(stake_accounts_rewards + vote_accounts_rewards / total_active_stake) * number_of_epochs_per_year
Where number_of_epochs_per_year is calculated as follows: seconds_in_year / average_epoch_duration. Average_epoch_duration is an average in seconds, based on last 6 epochs.
And stake_accounts_rewards and vote_accounts_rewards are the average reward per epoch based on last 3 epochs.
Stake Pool
Stake pools are an alternative method of earning staking rewards. This program allows SOL holders to stake and earn rewards without managing stakes. Read more about theprogram on Solana website.
FAQ
How to become avalidator?
Please take alook at this detailed guide on Solana website: https://docs.solana.com/running-validator.
How is my Personal Data protected?
All Consumer Personal Information is encrypted in transit via HTTPS. You can see our secure certificate by clicking thelock icon in your browser location bar. We also encrypt all Personal Information at rest when it is stored within our database.
Why is my validator marked "private"?
It's based on commission rate. 100% commission means that you are not looking for delegations, so we mark you as "private". Private validators are always assigned with total score 0, despite their performance.
Why do I see withdrawer warning next to my validator?
It informs visitors that your validator identity matches thewithdraw authority on your vote account. It is aserious security risk, eg. if someone hacks into your validator, they can steal from thevote account. Keep thewithdraw authority key offline or in a multisig to minimize therisk. Once you fix it, thewarning will be taken off automatically within few hours.
Why do I see admin warning warning next to my validator?
It informs visitors that validator's actions are malicious or harmful to thecluster. Hover your mouse over thewarning symbol next to validator's name to see thedetails. Validators with red warnings are always assigned with total score 0, despite their performance.
Why can't I see my validator on main page?
There are several possible causes.
First, please double check and confirm that you're searching in thecorrect network.
Then, please make sure your validator is active and voting. Make sure your validator is visible in theoutput of thefollowing CLI command:
solana validators -u t | grep validator-pubkey
Also confirm that there are some SOL delegated to your validator. We suppress all nodes with zero stake. You should see thenode appear on our site as soon as you have some stake. If you fixed all theabove and still cannot see your validator, please contact us.
Why do I see old software version of my node?
Software versions are updated once every 24 hours. Please wait 24 hours before checking thevalidators.app website after software version upgrade. If you still cannot see thenew version after this time please contact us.
How do I start staking?
First, you'll need some SOLs. You can buy them on Coinbase. Then send them to your web wallet, such as Phantom or Solflare. For other options check out Solana web wallets or Solana mobile wallets. You are ready to stake! To learn more about staking see Solana staking docs. Then check out our advice on how to choose the right validator.
How to find thebest validator?
To find agood validator, please start at thetop of the'Score' view on thehome page and click through to see validator details. Then read Choosing Validator section on this page to find out what you should watch outfor.
How often can I change thevalidator? Is there aminimum period?
It usually takes 1epoch for stake to warm up or cool down. Try to split your stake across several validators. Please also read our advice on how to choose the right validator and check out Solana stake pool program.
How often are thestaking rewards paid out?
It usually takes 1epoch for stake to warm up or cool down. After that, you should see rewards in your wallet. For better results, try to split your stake across several validators. Please also read our advice on how to choose the right validator or check out Solana stake pool program.
Where can I find theAPY?
Non-custodial staking on Solana is NOT an interest-bearing investment -- there is no forward-looking APY. Our home page shows the overall Return on Delegation (ROD). Performance for individual validators will vary slightly with their commission and relative performance.
Can I add a validator to my favourites?
You need to create user account or sign in to your user account first. Then you can create your own watchlist by clicking on star icon next to each validator on the list.
