What a validator does
Every few seconds a proof-of-stake network needs a new block of transactions. Validators propose those blocks, check the ones other validators propose, and vote on them. When enough of them agree, the block becomes permanent.
What it takes to run one well
Running a validator is a 24-hour job. A good operator needs:
- Reliable servers in professional data centres, with backups.
- Monitoring that alerts an engineer the moment something goes wrong.
- Careful key management, so the validator can never sign two conflicting blocks.
- Upgrades applied on time when the network releases new software.
The active set
Many networks only let a limited number of validators produce blocks at once, ranked by how much is staked with them. This group is called the active set. A validator outside it earns nothing, so staying in it matters.
How Evernodes fits in
Evernodes is a validator. We run enterprise-grade validator nodes across networks such as Ethereum, Cosmos Hub and Polkadot, keep them online and in the active set, and publish their addresses so anyone can check them on a block explorer.
Questions people ask
- Can anyone become a validator?
- Technically yes, but it requires the minimum stake, professional infrastructure and constant monitoring. Most people delegate to an established validator instead.
- What happens if a validator goes offline?
- It stops earning rewards while offline, and on many networks a long outage triggers a penalty that the validator and its delegators share.