What is staking?
Staking is the process of actively participating in transaction validation (similar to mining) on a proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchain. On these blockchains, anyone with a minimum-required balance of a specific cryptocurrency can validate transactions and earn Staking rewards.
How does staking work?
- When the minimum balance is met, a node deposits that amount of cryptocurrency into the network as a stake (similar to a security deposit).
- The size of a stake is directly proportional to the chances of that node being chosen to forge the next block.
- If the node successfully creates a block, the validator receives a reward, similar to how a miner is rewarded in proof-of-work chains.
- Validators lose part of their stake if they double-sign or attempt to attack the network.