Blockchain & Cryptocurrency Glossary

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Validator Node

Pronunciation
[val-uh-day-tur nod]
Analogy
A Validator Node is like a juror in a trial—they listen to evidence (transactions), vote on verdicts (block validity), and help finalize outcomes.
Definition
A full node in a proof‑of‑stake network responsible for proposing and attesting to blocks, participating directly in consensus.
Key Points Intro
Validator Nodes perform key roles such as:
Key Points

Block proposal: Creates new blocks when selected.

Attestation: Votes on blocks proposed by others.

State maintenance: Stores full ledger state and validates transitions.

Penalties & rewards: Earns rewards, risks slashing for faults.

Example
Running a Solana validator node requires staking at least 1 SOL and operating a high‑performance server to propose and vote on blocks.
Technical Deep Dive
Validator nodes run consensus clients that maintain a mempool, execute the leader schedule, and run PBFT or PoS algorithms. They sign attestations with BLS keys, broadcast to peers, and update local state via block execution in the EVM or native runtime. Monitoring modules track performance metrics and slashing conditions.
Security Warning
Exposed validator keys can be used to equivocate, resulting in slashing and loss of stake; use HSMs or secure enclaves.
Caveat
High operational requirements (uptime, hardware) make solo validation challenging for small stakeholders.
Related Terms
Delegator
Slashing
Stake
Consensus
Full Node

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