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Native Staking

How Solana Staking Works​

The Basics​

When you stake SOL, you're delegating your tokens to the mallow validator, which processes transactions and secures the network. In return, you earn staking rewards proportional to your stake. Your SOL is never sent to an external wallet and is always available for you to unstake.

Staking States​

Your staked SOL goes through different states during its lifecycle:

1. Activating​

  • When you first delegate SOL to our validator, it enters the "activating" state
  • This process takes approximately 2 days to complete
  • During activation, your SOL doesn't earn rewards yet
  • The stake becomes active at the beginning of the next epoch after the activation period

2. Active​

  • Your SOL is now actively securing the network
  • You earn staking rewards every epoch (approximately every 2 days)
  • Your SOL remains locked and cannot be withdrawn immediately
  • Rewards are automatically added to your stake balance (compound interest)

3. Deactivating​

  • When you want to unstake, you must first deactivate your stake
  • The deactivation process takes approximately 2 days
  • During deactivation, you continue earning rewards
  • Your SOL becomes available for withdrawal after the cooldown period

4. Inactive​

  • Your SOL is no longer staked and available for withdrawal
  • No longer earning staking rewards

Key Considerations​

  • Epochs: Solana operates on epochs of approximately 2 days
  • Rewards: Current yield: Loading... (typically ranges from 5-8% APY)
  • Lockup Period: Traditional staking requires a cooldown period for unstaking

Drawbacks of Native Staking​

While native staking is secure and straightforward, it has some limitations:

  • Liquidity Lock: Your SOL is locked during the staking period
  • Cooldown Period: Unstaking requires waiting ~2 days before accessing your SOL
  • Opportunity Cost: Cannot use staked SOL for other activities like trading or DeFi
info

mallow validator voter key: mALLoAbdQrgsnm7kWJyPrhcQcmxfT73t8DaqEkpZNd6

Looking for a more flexible staking solution? Learn about mallowSOL, our liquid staking token that solves these limitations.