What Is ‘Staking’ in the Context of Proof-of-Stake?

Staking is the act of locking up a certain amount of cryptocurrency in a wallet to participate in the network's consensus mechanism. By staking, a participant becomes a validator, responsible for proposing and attesting to new blocks.

Validators are rewarded with new coins and transaction fees for honest behavior, and penalized (slashed) for malicious or negligent actions. It is the economic commitment that secures the PoS network.

What Is the Concept of Staking in Proof-of-Stake (PoS) Systems?
What Is ‘Staking’ and How Does It Differ from PoW Mining?
How Does Proof-of-Stake (PoS) Attempt to Solve the Double-Spending Problem Differently than Proof-of-Work (PoW)?
How Does One Become a Validator in a PoS Network like Ethereum?
What Is the Role of a Validator in a Proof-of-Stake Network?
What Is the Role of a ‘Validator’ in the Ethereum Proof-of-Stake System?
What Is the Role of a “Validator” in a Proof-of-Stake System?
How Does PoA’S Reliance on Identity Differ from PoW’s Reliance on Computational Power?

Glossar