Become a validator

This guide provides a straightforward approach to setting up N1PC validator:

Becoming a validator on a N1PC network involves a series of technical steps, along with a commitment to maintaining a secure, reliable, and performant node. Validators play a crucial role in the operation and security of blockchain networks, participating in consensus mechanisms and, in many cases, governance decisions.

Understand the Role and Responsibilities

Before becoming a validator, understand the responsibilities involved. Validators help secure the network and may need to stake network tokens as collateral. Poor performance or malicious actions can lead to penalties, including the slashing of staked tokens. While the chain is currently in a testing phase and becoming a validator may not pose significant issues, it is important to consider the following steps carefully for the future when the mainnet launches.

Meet the Technical Requirements

Running a validator node requires a reliable server with specific hardware specifications, a stable internet connection, and a secure operating environment. Common requirements include:

• A multi-core CPU

• At least 2GB of RAM

• Sufficient disk space for blockchain data

• A high-speed and stable internet connection

• A static IP address

• N1PC node installed on your server.

Set up your Full Node

Read and follow the steps in "Create a N1PC Node"

Create an account

n1pcd keys add your-account-name

Once you enter the password, you will see output like this:

address: noone1cstws8x7y6m45wg8ash5rpqcssvt95udmmx040
  name: your-account-name
  pubkey: '{"@type":"/cosmos.crypto.secp256k1.PubKey","key":"<pubkey>"}'
  type: local


**Important** write this mnemonic phrase in a safe place.
It is the only way to recover your account if you ever forget your password.

<mnemonic>

Acquire tokens

Go to https://noonescan.io/faucet to get your tokens.

Create Your Validator

cd ~/.n1pc/config
nano validator.json

Paste the JSON below in the file, change variables, save, and exit:

{
        "pubkey": {<my-pub-key>},
        "amount": "<amount>stake",
        "moniker": "<your-validator-name>",
        "identity": "optional identity signature (ex. UPort or Keybase)",
	"website": "validator's (optional) website",
	"security": "validator's (optional) security contact email",
	"details": "validator's (optional) details",
        "commission-rate": "0.1",
        "commission-max-rate": "0.2",
        "commission-max-change-rate": "0.01",
        "min-self-delegation": "1"
}

• Replace <my-pub-key> with the value from running n1pcd comet show-validator

• Replace <your-validator-name> with your desired validator name.

Once your node is fully synced, and you have the required tokens, you can create your validator with a single command:

n1pcd tx staking create-validator validator.json --from <my-account-name> --chain-id n1pc --fees 50000noone,20stake

Secure Your Validator

Security is paramount for validators to protect against slashing and downtime penalties.

• Firewall Setup: Configure your server's firewall to only allow necessary traffic.

• Sentinel Services: Use sentinel services to auto-restart your node if it crashes.

• Backup Your Keys: Regularly backup your validator's keys and keep them in a secure location.