Velas validators: how to pick one to delegate to

Validators run nodes that propose and vote on blocks. The official site lists the number of validators and total VLX staked at any time, and the explorers show individual operators.

What a validator does

It stays online, processes transactions and votes with the stake delegated to it. In return it earns rewards, keeps a commission and passes the rest to delegators. A validator that misses votes earns less, and serious misbehaviour can be penalised depending on protocol rules.

Metrics to check

Spreading risk

You can split your stake across several validators in separate stake accounts. This reduces the effect of one going offline. Details on the process are in the staking guide.

Where to look

Use the wallet's validator list, the native explorer and the official documentation. Be cautious about validators that advertise unrealistic yields or ask you to send coins to an address outside the staking flow.

How rewards flow from network to delegator

The network issues rewards, or collects fees, and distributes them to validators according to how much stake backs each one and how well it performed. A validator that charges a given commission keeps that share of the rewards earned on delegated stake and passes the remainder to its delegators. This means two delegators with the same amount can earn different returns if they pick validators with different performance and commission. It also means a validator with zero commission is not necessarily a bargain: running a reliable node costs money, and a validator that cannot cover its costs may shut down, forcing you to redelegate.

Reading the validator list in practice

On the native explorer you can look at each validator's identity, vote account, stake, commission and recent activity. Check whether the validator has been delinquent, meaning it stopped voting for a period. Look at how long it has existed, whether it publishes a website and contact information, and whether other people can confirm it exists. Do not rely on a name alone: names are easy to copy. A validator's identity is its on-chain account, so verify the address against the one the operator publishes on its own site.

Why concentration is a risk for the network and for you

If a few validators control a large share of all stake, they have outsized influence on which blocks are accepted, and a failure or compromise at one of them affects many holders at once. Spreading delegation across smaller, reliable validators supports decentralisation and reduces your own exposure. We cannot confirm the current distribution without live data, so look at it yourself rather than trusting a static claim.

A worked comparison of two validators

Picture two validators. One has a low commission, little history and a nameless website. The other charges a bit more, has a long record of voting regularly and publishes clear contact details. At first glance the cheaper one looks better, but a validator that goes offline for a stretch earns less for everyone who delegates to it, and the saved commission can disappear quickly. In most cases, steady performance and honest identification are worth a slightly higher commission. The point is not to pick a favourite name, but to make a decision you can explain.

It also pays to check how a validator communicates when something goes wrong. Operators who publish incident notes and upgrade plans tend to be the ones who handle problems well. Silence during a network event is a signal, though not proof of failure.

Running your own validator

Operating a validator is an infrastructure job, not a passive investment. It requires a powerful server with a fast connection, monitoring, secure key management and the ability to apply upgrades quickly. Requirements and the process are described in the documentation. Most holders are better served by delegating. If you consider running one, read the documentation closely, start on a test network and budget for hardware and your time before you expect any return. For choosing among existing validators, see also the explorer guide and the safety checklist.

If you want a quick sanity check before delegating, ask yourself whether you could describe the validator to a friend in two sentences: who runs it, why you trust it and what its stake share is. If you cannot, spend more time on research or pick a different one.