Validator

A validator operates the software and infrastructure that keeps a Proof of Stake network running: watching for pending transactions, proposing new blocks when selected, and attesting to blocks proposed by others so the chain reaches agreement on a single, canonical history. Unlike a miner competing on raw computing power, a validator's influence is tied to the size of the stake it has locked up as a security bond.

Selection mechanisms vary by protocol. Some, like Ethereum, use a pseudo-random process weighted by effective balance, cycling validators through proposer and attester duties in fixed time slots grouped into epochs. Other chains use delegated models, where token holders vote their stake toward a smaller set of professional validator operators who run the actual nodes and share rewards back with delegators.

Running an independent validator usually means meeting a minimum stake (32 ETH on Ethereum, though a 2025 protocol upgrade raised the cap a single validator can consolidate to 2,048 ETH) plus reliable hardware and near-constant uptime. Holders without enough capital or technical know-how can still take part through staking pools or liquid staking services, which combine many smaller deposits into pooled validators.

Validators earn rewards for honest, timely participation but face slashing for provable misconduct such as signing two conflicting blocks, and smaller penalties for extended downtime. Because delegators share in a validator's penalties as well as its rewards, picking a reliable, well-run validator is a risk decision, not just a yield one.