/launch_docs

Organization of the documentation launch

Welcome

Please take a moment to watch our youtube introduction to the EthStaker community!

Here are links to some things mentioned in this video:

I would like to warmly welcome everyone to r/ethstaker. Please protect this community's philosophy by respecting our rules. Let me quote a few here for reference:

  • Note that the the primary goal of this community is to be welcoming first and knowledgable second.
  • We welcome all persons regardless of identifying criteria. As an extension of that, we will work harder to welcome those who may appear different.
  • Do not discuss or use this reddit to engage in activity that may be considered illegal.
  • Keep non Ethereum staking to r/staking.
  • Keep plain Ethereum development discussion to r/ethereum.
  • Keep price discussion and market talk to subreddits such as /r/ethfinance or r/ethtrader.
  • Keep mining discussion to subreddits such as /r/ethermining.

What is Ethereum 2 Staking?

Superphiz gave a talk at EthOnline 2020 titled "Introduction to Ethereum 2 and Staking for Beginners" it's a great place to get introduced to these concepts.

Ethereum 2 Staking means locking up 32 Ether and running a piece of software that secures the Ethereum 2 network. In exchange for doing this service stakers receive small payouts every 6 minutes. The new Ethereum network is still in development and stakers who deposit Ether now should expect it to be completely locked up for two years.

The BEST place to learn about Ethereum 2 is by reading EIP 2982, the proposal to integrate Ethereum 2 into the Ethereum 1 system. /u/superphiz and /u/unvetica_solutions did a full reading of this EIP and posted it to YouTube.

Ethstsker TV: A live video feed of beacon chain nodes

Want to see what a running validator looks like? Check out our live validator twitch stream: https://www.twitch.tv/ethstaker/

You should get involved!

  • Sign up for our collaboration groups where you can be paired with four other stakers to join a private discord chat to get to know each other and swap experiences.
  • Participate in the Ethereum Studymaster where you can take quizzes to learn more about Ethereum and earn POAPs to demonstrate your knowledge.

Staking FAQ's

Staking Incentives / Rewards

Why stake?

  • Help secure the Etherem network.
  • Help maintain decentralization/security.
  • Earn a return on your staked ETH.

Staking Rewards

  • Returns depend on how much ETH is staked.
  • You will receive a return on your stake, in regular small increments.
  • Return Calculator

Getting started on mainnet

Getting started on a testnet

Security Best Practices

Types of Staking

Solo

Custodial & Third party pooling

  • Note that the Ethstaker community encourages solo staking and does not endorse services, but we WILL provide support as much as possible and we encourage you to do what's best for you.
  • Beaconcha.in hosts a comprehensive list of custodial and third party staking services.

Ethereum 2 Staking Clients

Client Runs on Documentation Discord Website Launchpad Guide
Lighthouse Linux, MacOS, Windows Documentation Discord Website Launchpad
Nimbus Linux, MacOS, Windows, Android Documentation Discord Website Launchpad
Prysm Linux, MacOS, Windows Documentation Discord Website Launchpad
Teku Linux, MacOS, Windows Documentation Discord Website Launchpad

Choosing a Client

Choosing a client that is right for you can be challenging. In general, the clients listed above are all viable options for staking on Eth2 - they are all compliant with the latest Eth2 specification. Each client uses a slightly different configurtation and set-up, and offers different features. Ideally you can try each client out on the Pyrmont testnet (see the Complete Guides in the table above) to get a feel for which client is right for you.

Also check this slightly out of date (but still relevant) breakdown of Ethereum 2.0 clients: Ethereum 2.0 and the Seven Clients by /u/SomerEsat.

General Guides

Installation

Client Somer Esat (Testnet) Somer Esat (Mainnet) CoinCashew (Testnet) CoinCashew (Mainnet)
Lighthouse Somer Esat (Testnet) Somer Esat (Mainnet) CoinCashew (Testnet) CoinCashew (Mainnet)
Nimbus Somer Esat (Testnet) Somer Esat (Mainnet) CoinCashew (Testnet) CoinCashew (Mainnet)
Prysm Somer Esat (Testnet) Somer Esat (Mainnet) CoinCashew (Testnet) CoinCashew (Mainnet)
Teku Somer Esat (Testnet) Somer Esat (Mainnet) CoinCashew (Testnet) CoinCashew (Mainnet)

Hardware

Hardware Staking Guide by LamboshiNakaghini

Mainnet

Getting started with Eth2 Staking on Docker by YorickDowne

Running a staking system using Ubuntu 20.04 LTS on a NUC 10i5FNK by metanull-operator

How to stake with Dappnode by Raymond Durk

How to Stake with Ethereum 2.0: The Ultimate Guide to Set Up Everything and Earn Interest - Video Updated: November 2020 by Zane

Using Windows 10 to install Ubuntu subsystem for staking

Staking Risks

Staking on Ethereum 2.0 has some risks. Some common things to look out for are not limited to:

  • If you use the same validator keys on two different machines at the same time, this will result in a slash. This means redundant validating nodes should not be attempted by home stakers.
  • Hardware related issues can impact a staking setup. For example: power failures, hardware failures, running out of disk space, etc.
  • Networking related issues such as DDoS attacks or general connectivity issues (e.g. severed cable).
  • Software related issues such as bugs in client software or OS issues.
  • Validator Key issues such as lost or stolen phrase/passwords/private keys.
  • ETH2 related issues relating to mainnet problems.
  • Taxation may apply to staking rewards depending on your local tax laws. Check with a licensed professional.

Before you go, don't forget to make plans to join us in Hawaii in 2022.

This sticky is maintained here. Please submit lots of changes on the github then ping superphiz, or just pm me here if you have something.