Ethereum is one of the popular cryptocurrencies available. However, what is Ethereum staking, and how does it work?
What is Ethereum Staking?
Ethereum Staking is the process of locking up a certain amount of Ethereum cryptocurrency for a particular time to help contribute to the Ethereum blockchain and earn network rewards. This whole process is a source of passive income for the contributors and protects the network’s iteration. The latest upgrade of this network is Ethereum 2.0 (EHT2), which aims to improve the network’s scalability, sustainability, and security.
Individuals who take part in this process are called “validators/ Stakers.” They process transactions, store information, and add blocks to Ethereum’s new model, Beacon Chain. These people are active in the network. The good thing is, there is a reward. They will get interest on coins they stake.
What is Proof-of-State, PoS?
This is a consensus mechanism individuals use in staking an amount of Ethereum cryptocurrency. This is a way through which they become validators. Nonetheless, the more coins a validator stakes, the higher the chances of earning rewards on the Ethereum network.
Nonetheless, there is delegation of stakes from one user to the next depending on the system they are using. Additionally, the transactions within this model are faster and environmentally friendly as it reduces energy consumption.
What is Proof-of-Work, PoW?
This is a consensus mechanism that involves the purchasing and running of mining equipment by users. Besides, here, their identities are necessary as evidence.
How Does Ethereum Staking Work?
Ethereum staking involves several procedures. They range from validating, grouping the validators, proposing a new block, attesting to it, adding it to the blockchain, to receiving an award. However, how does all this happen?
The Ethereum blockchain, based on the proof-of-stake consensus mechanism, takes an average of 6.4 minutes to bundle 32 blocks of transactions. At this point, the transaction is done, is irreversible, and is known as an “epoch.”
Additionally, during validating, there are random groups of validators that place them into committees of 128, after which the Beacon Chain assigns them to a shard block. Any random member of the group can propose a new block of the transaction as the rest vote and attest to it.
Additionally, another term in Ethereum staking is a “slot.” This is the set time for each committee to propose a new block and validate the transactions.
After the committee attests to the new block, it gets added to the Ethereum blockchain. After this, the staker who proposed receives an award. Notably, the reward models differ. The proposer and attester do not get an equal amount.
Besides, when a high number of individuals connect to Ethereum 2.0. the validators will receive a low base reward.
Nonetheless, to begin Ethereum staking, you must set up a staking node. You do this by running clients (softwares allowing the interaction of nodes with this network) from both Ethereum 1.0 and Ethereum 2.0. As a validator, you should always connect your nodes to the Ethereum blockchain, and this requires a quality and stable internet connection.