Validator Responsibilities

Validator Role

Validators are the backbone of the ChainOS network, responsible for maintaining consensus, securing the blockchain, and participating in governance. This guide outlines the key responsibilities and expectations for ChainOS validators.

Operational Responsibilities

As a validator, you have several critical operational responsibilities:

Maintain High Uptime

Validators must maintain high availability to participate in consensus:

  • Target Uptime: 99.9% or higher (less than 1.5 hours of downtime per week)
  • Downtime Consequences: Missing blocks can result in being temporarily jailed and slashed
  • Monitoring: Implement comprehensive monitoring with alerts for any issues

After 10,000 consecutive missed blocks (approximately 6.5 hours), validators are automatically jailed and must manually unjail themselves after resolving the issue.

Infrastructure Management

Validators must maintain secure, reliable infrastructure:

  • Hardware: Use enterprise-grade hardware that meets or exceeds the recommended specifications
  • Redundancy: Implement redundant systems, including backup power and network connections
  • Security: Follow all security best practices to protect validator keys and infrastructure
  • Sentry Nodes: Implement a sentry node architecture to protect validator nodes

Software Updates

Validators must stay current with software updates:

  • Timely Updates: Apply security patches and updates promptly
  • Network Upgrades: Participate in coordinated network upgrades and hard forks
  • Testing: Test updates on testnet before applying to production
  • Monitoring: Stay informed about upcoming updates through official channels

Failure to update for network upgrades can result in your validator being unable to participate in consensus.

Consensus Responsibilities

Validators play a critical role in the consensus process:

Block Production

When selected as the proposer, validators are responsible for:

Block Validation

All validators participate in validating proposed blocks:

Double Signing Warning

Running the same validator key on multiple nodes simultaneously can lead to double signing, which is a serious violation. Double signing results in a 5% slashing penalty and permanent jailing. Always ensure your validator key is only active on a single node at any time.

Governance Responsibilities

Validators are expected to actively participate in on-chain governance:

Proposal Voting

Validators should vote on all governance proposals:

  • Informed Voting: Research and understand proposals before voting
  • Timely Voting: Vote within the voting period (typically 14 days)
  • Voting Options: Choose from Yes, No, No with Veto, or Abstain
  • Responsibility: Validators who don't vote dilute their influence in the network

Voting command example:

chainosd tx gov vote 1 yes --from validator-wallet

Proposal Submission

Validators can submit governance proposals:

  • Text Proposals: For signaling and community discussion
  • Parameter Change Proposals: To modify network parameters
  • Software Upgrade Proposals: For coordinating network upgrades
  • Community Pool Spend Proposals: For allocating funds from the community pool

Proposal submission requires a deposit (typically 10,000 UOS) which is refunded if the proposal passes or is rejected without being vetoed.

Community Responsibilities

Validators are leaders in the ChainOS ecosystem and have responsibilities to the community:

Communication

Maintain open communication with the community:

  • Provide accurate information about your validator operations
  • Announce planned maintenance in advance
  • Participate in community discussions and forums
  • Be responsive to delegator inquiries

Education and Support

Contribute to the growth and health of the ecosystem:

  • Help educate new users and delegators
  • Provide technical support when possible
  • Create documentation, guides, or tools
  • Mentor new validators

Network Development

Contribute to the ongoing development of ChainOS:

  • Participate in testnet activities
  • Report bugs and suggest improvements
  • Contribute to open-source code when possible
  • Help with network testing and upgrades

Delegation Responsibilities

Validators have responsibilities to their delegators:

Transparent Operations

Maintain transparency with delegators:

  • Clearly communicate commission rates and any changes
  • Provide information about validator performance and infrastructure
  • Disclose any potential conflicts of interest
  • Be honest about risks and expectations

Commission Management

Handle commission rates responsibly:

  • Set reasonable commission rates that reflect your value and costs
  • Provide advance notice before increasing commission rates
  • Avoid frequent commission changes
  • Consider offering commission rebates or incentives for long-term delegators

Commission rate changes are limited by the commission-max-change-rate parameter set during validator creation.

Compliance Responsibilities

Validators should ensure they operate within legal and regulatory frameworks:

Legal Compliance

  • Understand and comply with relevant laws in your jurisdiction
  • Consider tax implications of validator rewards
  • Maintain appropriate records for regulatory purposes
  • Consult legal professionals when necessary

Network Rules Compliance

  • Adhere to the ChainOS protocol rules
  • Follow community-established norms and standards
  • Avoid actions that could harm the network
  • Report violations by other validators when observed

Validator Responsibility Checklist

Use this checklist to ensure you're meeting all validator responsibilities:

Daily Responsibilities

  • ☐ Monitor validator uptime and performance
  • ☐ Check for missed blocks
  • ☐ Review system resource usage
  • ☐ Verify network connectivity
  • ☐ Check for security alerts

Weekly Responsibilities

  • ☐ Apply system security updates
  • ☐ Review logs for unusual activity
  • ☐ Check for ChainOS software updates
  • ☐ Verify backup systems
  • ☐ Review active governance proposals

Monthly Responsibilities

  • ☐ Perform full system maintenance
  • ☐ Test disaster recovery procedures
  • ☐ Review and optimize node configuration
  • ☐ Update validator information and website
  • ☐ Engage with the community

Need Help?

If you have questions about validator responsibilities or need assistance, join our Discord community where our team and other validators can help.