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Validator Node Overview

Validators on the IOTA network run special nodes and have additional tasks and responsibilities beyond those of full node operators.

Requirements to Run a Validator on IOTA​

To run an IOTA validator, you must set up and configure an IOTA Validator node. After you have a running node, you must have a minimum of 2 million IOTA in your staking pool to join the validator set on the IOTA network.

To learn how to set up and configure an IOTA Validator node, see Docker Setup or Systemd Setup. The guide includes all of the information you need to configure your Validator node. It also provides guidance on the tasks you must perform after you join the validator set.

Specific steps you must take include:

  • Install and configure IOTA validator node
  • Key management
  • Software updates
  • On-chain commands
  • Update the Gas Price Survey
  • Reporting other validators

Validator Staking Pool Requirements​

There are minimum staking requirements a validator must satisfy to become active and to stay in the active validator set.

More precisely:

  • A validator candidate must accrue at least 2M IOTA of stake before they can request to join the validator set.
  • If an active validator’s stake falls below 1.5M IOTA, the validator has seven epochs of grace period to gain back the stake before being removed from the validator set.
  • If an active validator’s stake falls below 1M IOTA, the validator is removed from the validator set at the end of the current epoch boundary.

IOTA uses 24-hour epochs.

  • RAM: 128 GB
  • CPU: 24-core processor
  • Storage: 4 TB
  • Network Uplink: 1 Gbps
  • Minimum Stake: 2 million IOTAs (can be achieved through delegation)

Validator Tokenomics​