Run a validator
Validators produce the blocks. To join the set you bond L2P as self delegation, register your node, and stay online.
Requirements
- A node that stays online. Downtime is punished, not forgiven.
- Enough self delegated L2P to clear the minimum. The minimum is the
minSelfDelegationL2Pparameter on the stake hub, and it is set by governance. - A consensus key and a BLS key for your node.
Only the top validators by total stake are elected into the active set each epoch. The size of that set is the maxElectedValidators parameter. Being bonded is not the same as being elected.
What you earn
- A share of the gas fees on the blocks you produce, minus the part that is burned.
- Block emissions, which halve over time as described in The L2P coin.
You keep a commission on what your delegators earn, and the rest is theirs.
What gets you slashed
Two behaviours cost you stake.
Downtime. Miss too many blocks and you are jailed for a period, and a fixed amount of stake is cut. The thresholds are the misdemeanorThreshold and felonyThreshold parameters on the slash indicator.
Double signing. Signing two conflicting blocks is treated as a felony: a much larger slash and a much longer jail time. There is no honest reason to do it, so the punishment does not try to be gentle.
Slashed stake comes out of self delegation first. Your delegators are exposed to your behaviour, which is exactly why they should care who they delegate to.
Getting started
The staking and delegation flows live at validators.l2protocol.com. Everything there is a wallet signature against the stake hub contract, so you can do the same calls yourself if you would rather script it. See System contracts for the addresses.