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May 6, 2025

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How do Solana validators secure the network and earn rewards?

Introducing Solana validators & decentralisation

Solana validators form the essential infrastructure that maintains the integrity, security, and efficiency of the Solana blockchain network. These computational nodes serve as the foundation of Solana's Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism, processing transactions and securing the network through distributed verification processes.

The Solana blockchain has gained significant attention for its high throughput capabilities, theoretically processing up to 65,000 transactions per second, while aiming to do so without unduly compromising decentralisation. This remarkable performance is made possible through the coordinated efforts of Solana validators distributed across the globe.

At its core, the validator network represents the decentralised nature of Solana's architecture. Each validator independently verifies transactions and contributes to the consensus process, ensuring that no single entity controls the network. As of May 2025, the Solana network comprises over 2,000 to 3,000+ active validators across six continents, demonstrating a growing level of decentralisation that strengthens network resilience.

The geographical distribution of Solana validators is wide, with nodes operating in diverse locations globally. Specific percentage breakdowns by continent fluctuate and require up-to-date sources like Solana non-profit reports or community dashboards for current figures.

This distribution helps ensure that the network remains operational even if validators in certain regions experience connectivity issues or regulatory challenges.

Role of validators in Solana PoS

Solana validators perform several critical functions within the Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism:

Transaction processing and verification

Validators receive transaction requests from users, verify their validity by checking signatures and account balances, and then process these transactions by updating the blockchain state. This verification process ensures that only legitimate transactions are added to the blockchain, preventing double-spending and other fraudulent activities. 1

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Block production

Validators take turns producing new blocks of transactions according to the Proof-of-Stake consensus rules. Solana's innovative Proof-of-History (PoH) mechanism works alongside PoS to create a verifiable sequence of events, allowing validators to agree on the order of transactions with reduced communication overhead compared to some other consensus models.

Network security

By staking SOL tokens as collateral, validators have a financial incentive to act honestly. Any malicious behaviour, such as attempting to validate fraudulent transactions or double-sign blocks, could result in the loss of their staked tokens through a process called slashing. This economic security model aligns validator interests with the health of the network.

Governance participation

Many Solana validators participate in on-chain governance decisions regarding protocol upgrades and parameter adjustments when such votes are called. Their technical expertise and stake in the network make them important stakeholders in the ecosystem's development.

Requirements & costs to become a validator

Operating a Solana validator requires substantial technical resources and expertise:

Hardware requirements

CPU: 12 cores / 24 threads (or more), 2.8GHz or faster (modern AMD Ryzen/EPYC or Intel Xeon recommended).
RAM: 128GB minimum, with 256GB increasingly recommended for optimal performance and future-proofing.
Storage: High-speed NVMe SSDs are crucial; typically 1TB-2TB+ for the operating system and accounts database, and a separate, very fast 1TB-2TB+ NVMe drive for the ledger. Total storage needs for the ledger can grow significantly over time.
GPU: While not strictly for consensus on all transactions, a GPU is often required by the current Solana Labs validator client for efficiently generating Proof of History hashes when the validator is acting as a leader.
Internet connection: A 1 Gbps symmetric internet connection with reliable, low-latency connectivity is crucial (10 Gbps is often recommended for better peering and performance).
Power: A redundant power supply with an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) backup is highly recommended for consistent operation.

These specifications exceed those of many other blockchain networks due to Solana's high-performance architecture. The estimated hardware cost ranges from $6,000 to $12,000 USD or more for a production-grade setup, depending on components and region.

Software requirements

Validators must run the Solana validator client software, which typically involves:

A modern Linux operating system (e.g., Ubuntu LTS versions like 22.04 or newer are commonly recommended).
Docker can be used for containerisation but is not strictly required; many run native binaries.
Robust monitoring tools for performance tracking and alerts.
Appropriate security software and configurations for system protection.

Financial requirements

The most significant ongoing consideration for aspiring validators, beyond initial hardware, is the SOL token stake requirement for competitiveness. While there is no strict protocol-mandated minimum self-stake to run a validator node, validators typically need a substantial amount of total stake (self-stake plus delegation from others) to be selected for the active validating set and earn consistent rewards.

A small self-stake is technically possible to start a validator and vote, but to be economically viable and attract delegation, a larger self-stake or significant initial community support is usually necessary.

Operational costs: $600-$1,200+ USD monthly for server hosting/co-location, electricity, and bandwidth is a plausible range.

Vote account fees: Small SOL transaction fees are incurred for voting on blocks.

Projects like Marinade Finance and Jito have introduced liquid staking solutions that allow smaller SOL holders to contribute to validation activities by delegating to a pool of validators, without needing to meet the full hardware and individual stake requirements themselves.

Rewards & risks

Validator rewards

Solana validators earn rewards through multiple mechanisms:

Inflation rewards: Solana has an inflationary monetary policy with an initial rate of 8%. This rate disinflates (decreases) by 15% year-over-year until it reaches a long-term target of approximately 1.5%. These newly minted tokens are distributed to staked validators proportional to their active stake.
Transaction fees: The leader validator that processes a block receives 50% of the transaction fees from that block (the other 50% is burned).
MEV (Maximal Extractable Value): Potential additional revenue from optimizing transaction ordering, especially if using MEV-enabled clients like Jito-Solana.

The effective annual percentage yield (APY) for delegators staking SOL typically ranges between 6-8%. This figure constantly fluctuates based on several factors including:

Total amount of SOL staked on the network (network participation rate)
The current network inflation rate as per the disinflationary schedule
The validator's commission rate, which is the percentage of rewards the validator keeps before distributing the rest to delegators (typically ranging from 0-15%, with 5-10% being common)
Validator performance and uptime

Associated risks

Operating a Solana validator involves several risks:

Slashing risk: Validators may lose a portion of their stake if they violate protocol rules, such as double-signing blocks or other forms of malicious behavior. Poor performance (downtime) results in fewer rewards, not direct slashing of principal for delegators from the protocol itself.
Technical failures: Hardware or software issues can lead to downtime and missed rewards.
Competition: The increasing number of validators creates competitive pressure for attracting delegations.
Market volatility: The value of SOL tokens can fluctuate significantly, affecting the fiat-denominated value of rewards and staked capital.

Validator performance & reputation

The performance of Solana validators is measured through several key metrics:

Uptime: The percentage of time a validator remains operational and participates in consensus.
Vote participation: How consistently a validator submits votes for blocks.
Skip rate / Block production: The frequency with which a validator successfully produces blocks when it is their turn as leader.
Commission rate: The percentage of rewards validators retain from their delegators.

These metrics are publicly available through various Solana explorer tools (e.g., Solanabeach.io, Validators.app), allowing delegators to make informed decisions about which validators to support. Reputation within the Solana ecosystem is built through consistent performance, community engagement, and transparent operations.

Solana vs Ethereum nodes

When comparing the operational aspects of Solana and Ethereum nodes, several key differences become apparent:

Hardware Requirements

Solana Validators: Generally higher (e.g., 12+ cores, 128GB-256GB RAM, fast NVMe SSDs, high-speed internet, often a GPU).
Ethereum Validators: Generally lower for Layer 1 (e.g., 4+ cores, 16GB-32GB RAM often cited as sufficient, fast SSD).

Minimum Stake (to run an independent validator)

Solana Validators: No strict protocol minimum self-stake, but a very large effective stake (self + delegation) is needed to be competitive and in the active set.
Ethereum Validators: 32 ETH fixed requirement per validator instance.

Validator Count (Active)

Solana Validators: Approximately 2,000-3,000+.
Ethereum Validators: Over 1,000,000.

Transaction Throughput (Layer 1)

Solana Validators: Up to 65,000 TPS (theoretical).
Ethereum Validators: Approximately 15-30 TPS.

Annual Returns (Typical for Stakers/Delegators, fluctuates)

Solana Validators: Approximately 6-8%.
Ethereum Validators: Approximately 3-5%.

Setup Complexity

Solana Validators: Moderate to High.
Ethereum Validators: Moderate.

Operating Costs

Solana Validators: Higher, primarily due to more demanding hardware and bandwidth requirements.
Ethereum Validators: Lower, relative to Solana.

Solana's architecture prioritises high Layer 1 performance and scalability, necessitating more powerful hardware but delivering significantly higher transaction throughput. Ethereum, while having generally lower hardware requirements for its Layer 1 validators, benefits from a vastly larger and more distributed validator set, with much of its ecosystem's scalability focused on Layer 2 solutions.

Check out our other articles on the Solana blockchain:

Future improvements in Solana validator ecosystem

The Solana Foundation and community are actively working on several initiatives to enhance the validator ecosystem:

Validator health programme

This programme aims to improve validator performance through educational resources, technical support, and monitoring tools. It focuses on reducing downtime and improving overall network reliability.

Stake distribution improvements

Efforts are underway to encourage a more equitable distribution of stake across validators, reducing concentration risk and enhancing decentralisation. The Solana Foundation's Delegation Programme specifically targets support for smaller, qualifying validators.

Technical optimisations

Ongoing development includes:

Reduced resource requirements through software optimisations in validator clients.
Improved failover mechanisms to maintain network stability.
Enhanced security features to protect against sophisticated attacks.
Development of new validator clients like Firedancer (by Jump Crypto) to improve network resilience, performance, and client diversity.

Cross-chain interoperability

While cross-chain bridges like Wormhole enable asset transfers between Solana and other networks, Solana validators themselves do not directly participate in the validation of Wormhole's cross-chain messages as part of their core Solana validation duties; Wormhole is secured by its own distinct set of "Guardian" nodes.

The continuous evolution of the Solana validator ecosystem demonstrates the network's commitment to balancing high performance with decentralisation, security, and accessibility. As the Solana ecosystem expands, the node infrastructure will likely become more efficient and resilient through innovations in hardware, software optimizations, and evolving staking mechanisms. Projects like Raydium and Orca, which provide essential DeFi services on Solana, will benefit directly from these improvements through enhanced network stability and throughput.

In conclusion, running a Solana node represents a significant commitment in terms of technical knowledge, hardware resources, and financial investment. However, for those with the necessary capabilities and resources, it offers an opportunity to participate directly in securing an innovative blockchain network while earning rewards for their contribution.

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