Staking Deposits

Staking is the process of locking up tokens to activate validator responsibilities in a Proof-of-Stake blockchain. Validators play a crucial role in securing the LUKSO network, proposing blocks, and participating in consensus. The process requires careful key management, node setup, and regular monitoring, but results in staking rewards for honest participation.

tip

Further details about staking in general can be found on the Proof of Stake and Tokenomics pages.

Validator Operation

Each validator requires a fixed stake of 32 LYX on mainnet or 32 LYXt on testnet. While both mainnet and testnet mirror the same blockchain protocol and apply equal updates, their validator deposit processes differ in access, value, and purpose. While the mainnet is a fully public permissionless blockchain, the testnet uses a curated list of long-term operators to ensure stable validation and reliable testing for developers.

Category	LUKSO Mainnet	LUKSO Testnet
Access	- Open and permissionless	- Requires whitelisting by the core team
Stake Coin	- LYX with real monetary value	- LYXt with no monetary value
Purpose	- Secure the public network - Earn staking rewards	- Environment for protocol deployment - Developer platform for smart contract testing
Validator Deposits	Mainnet Launchpad	Testnet Launchpad

Whitelisting

If you want to apply as testnet validator, send an email to testnet-validators@lukso.network containing a wallet address, a detailed infrastructure description of your service or business, and the validator use case and network involvement.

Deposit Instructions

Setting up a validator involves multiple careful steps. Below is an overview of the entire deposit journey on both networks:

Mainnet

1. Acquire LYX and transfer to a regular browser wallet
2. Device Setup: Configure a secure and offline device
3. Key Generation: Generate validator keys and deposit data on an offline device
4. Hardware Setup: Configure your homestaking node or server
5. Client Setup: Set up your node with execution, consensus, and validator clients
6. Validator Configuration: Transfer generated keys to your staking node
7. Validator Configuration Import validator keys into your node's consensus client
8. Validator Configuration: Start the staking node in idle mode until deposit is confirmed
9. Deposit Stake: Deposit 32 LYX to each validator using the Mainnet Launchpad
10. Wait for the validator to activate

Testnet

1. Apply for validator keys through email and attach your browser wallet address
2. Wait upon whitelisted deposits and receipt of LYXt from the LUKSO team
3. Device Setup: Configure a secure and offline device
4. Key Generation: Generate validator keys and deposit data on an offline device
5. Hardware Setup: Configure your homestaking node or server
6. Client Setup: Set up your node with execution, consensus, and validator clients
7. Validator Configuration: Transfer generated keys to your staking node
8. Validator Configuration Import validator keys into your node's consensus client
9. Validator Configuration: Start the staking node in idle mode until deposit is confirmed
10. Deposit Stake: Deposit 32 LYX to each validator using the Testnet Launchpad
11. Wait for the validator to activate

Activation Delay

After the deposit, validators may need to wait several hours to be activated. Only a few validators are activated per epoch.