Staking
Start Staking

Start Staking on Cardano

Staking is a system in which ADA holders can earn rewards by putting their stake in to help secure the Cardano network. Cardano has the most flexible staking mechanism in crypto. When you stake your ADA it never leaves your wallet. There is no lockup, no minimum staking requirement, and no penalty risk. In short, you retain full custody of your staked ADA and can spend it anytime. Rewards that accumulate to a staking wallet compound automatically and can be withdrawn anytime.

Staking is on Cardano is easy. Here are the steps to begin:

Find a Stake Pool

The first step is to find a stake pool you like. There are over 3000 stake pools active on Cardano. It is recommended to find a pool with a good track record.

Some things to look for in a good pool:

  • The pool is minting blocks consistently.
  • The pool can be trusted to act ethically as part of the Cardano network.
  • Some also offer additional benefits like supporting charitable missions, supporting decentralization, or distributing other tokens in addition to ADA.

Here are guides that get into more detail about how to choose a great pool:

Here are good websites to explore stake pools:

Confirm Delegation in your Wallet

The second step is to sign a transaction to stake, also known as delegate, your ADA to your pool of choice.

To do so, go to the Staking section of your wallet and find your pool. Click "Stake". Read and sign the transaction. Once the transaction goes through then the ADA is officially staked to the stake pool (but always remains safely in the user's wallet).

Receive Staking Rewards

You will earn your first rewards in 10 to 15 days. After that, staking rewards are paid every epoch (5 days) and compound automatically.

Rewards are visible in your Cardano wallet or using a reward tracker website (opens in a new tab). To spend staking rewards you must click "Withdraw Rewards" in your wallet and sign the receive transaction.

Other things to know

  • More than 60% (opens in a new tab) of ADA is staked on Cardano. Staking is an essential mechanism for maintaining the decentralization and security of the network.
  • To improve the decentralization of the Cardano network you can consider staking with a single stake pool.
  • It is a good idea to check your stake pool's stats occasionally to make sure they are still producing blocks consistently. Stake pools can shut down or update their fees without warning. Luckily, it's easy to switch to another stake pool anytime from your wallet.