How Does the Role of a “Staker” Differ from the Role of a “Miner”?
A miner in a PoW system expends energy and computational power to solve a complex puzzle to validate blocks. A staker in a PoS system locks up (stakes) their cryptocurrency to gain the right to validate blocks.
The miner's cost is operational (electricity), while the staker's cost is capital (the staked asset). The staker is penalized by slashing, whereas the miner is penalized by losing the block reward.
