What is Staking

What is Staking

Staking can be defined as a means of creating income by locking their funds in order to validate transactions. Additionally, staking is also a part of the Proof-of-Stake consensus algorithm, meaning its function is integral. Let’s dive deep into staking and its relation with the Proof-of-Stake system.



Is Staking a suitable approach?



Many may view the staking investment approach to be a resource saving method, when compared to maining. Staking is the method of locking one’s digital assets in a system for eventual profitable gains. If you are further asking “what really is staking,” then this piece is for you.





What is Proof of Stake?



Proof of Stake (PoS) is a system wherein nodes can participate by staking (locking) their funds in the pursuit of being randomly selected to verify the validity of blocks before being added to the blockchain. In some networks, the more one stakes, the more chance of being selected.



In some cases, validators are selected by a set of nominators. This empowers the network users to be more involved in the process, as well as promoting the decentralized nature of the system, wherein users are in power as well.



With this approach, validators are selected not on their abilities to solve hashed equations like the Proof of Work algorithm, but rather on their staked coins.

Ethereum’s transition from PoW to PoS first derived from the initial desire to enhance block sizes, leading to the system upgrade.





What is Staking?



Staking is the action of locking one’s funds within a Proof-of-Stake based platform to receive the opportunity to be chosen as a transaction validator. Additionally, staking can also be performed to receive passive income in accordance with various platforms’ conditions.





How does Staking work?



In Proof-of-Work networks, the blockchain system would rely on mining. However, in Proof-of-Stake ones, blocks are created after validation and the more coins that are staked, the more the chance the user has in being selected as a validator.



In practicality, staking is really about keeping funds in a suitable wallet or collection, which can help users gain access to certain functions or receive special rewards. This can also refer to adding funds to staking pools as well.





How is the income calculated?



It must first be noted that each platform may have different functions regarding staking, which can be due to several factors as following:



1. The amount of coins that are staked.

2. The duration of the staking period.

3. The total amount of coins staked within the network.

4. The inflation rate at the current time.



In other cases, the reward percentage would be calculated based on a percentage and distributed to validators. This can be found to have been influenced by the network’s inflation rate, which can in return boost users to use their tokens and provide liquidity, rather than holding them.





What are Staking Pools?



Staking pools are collective pools of coin holders that lock their coins in order to gain passive income or become a validator in PoS networks.



Furthermore, various staking pools have their own flexibility in terms of providing liquidity or funds, wherein users lock their coins for a set period of time and have a certain window for withdrawal or cancellation. Also, there is a generally high minimum amount of coins that are required to be locked in order to participate.





Benefits of Staking



1. Investors can create passive income through staking with gains in fees with consistent rates that can also be adjusted to provide profitable gains at times as well.

2. Staking can be suitable for investors holding large quantities of coins and create additional value for them.





Limitations of Staking



1. Price fluctuations can be highly damaging towards staking.

2. Service providers can often be found to be scammers, investors should be wary and conduct research prior to their investments.





Conclusion



Staking is an alternative investment method that relies on a platform’s consensus algorithm, providing them the ability to help govern a blockchain network. Moreover, staking can become a convenient source of income, after research, of course. On the same premise, locking funds can be risky at times, investors are highly recommended to conduct research ahead of time and construct a risk management strategy as well.





Reference:



Binance Academy , Medium , Capital.com , Coinbase , Zipmex , Cryptonews , Phemex

Blockchain

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