Validator Requirements

​

Technical Requirements

​

Minimum Hardware

• CPU: 24 physical cores (48 virtual cores)
• Memory: 128 GB RAM
• Storage: 4 TB NVMe SSD
• Network: 1 Gbps bandwidth, less than 100ms latency to other validators

​

Recommended Hardware

• CPU: 48+ physical cores
• Memory: 256 GB RAM
• Storage: 8 TB+ NVMe SSD with high IOPS
• Network: 10 Gbps bandwidth, redundant connections

​

Staking Requirements

​

Minimum Stake

# Check minimum stake requirement
sui client call --package 0x3 --module sui_system --function get_min_validator_stake --args 0x5

• Mainnet: ~30 million SUI minimum
• Testnet: ~1 million SUI minimum

​

Stake Sources

1. Self-stake: Validator’s own SUI
2. Delegated stake: SUI delegated by token holders
3. Combined: Mix of self-stake and delegation

​

Network Requirements

​

Connectivity

• Uptime: 99.9%+ availability
• Latency: Less than 100ms to other validators (lower is better)
• Bandwidth: Sustained 1 Gbps minimum
• Packet loss: Less than 0.1%

​

Required Ports

​

Network Architecture

┌─────────────────┐
│  Load Balancer  │
└────────┬────────┘
         │
    ┌────┴────┐
    │ Primary │ (Validator)
    │  Node   │
    └────┬────┘
         │
    ┌────┴────┐
    │ Backup  │ (Hot standby)
    │  Node   │
    └─────────┘

​

Operational Requirements

​

Key Management

1. Protocol Key (BLS12381): Most critical, signs consensus messages
2. Account Key (Ed25519): Controls validator account and staked funds
3. Network Key (Ed25519): P2P networking authentication
4. Worker Key (Ed25519): Narwhal worker authentication

• Store protocol and account keys in HSM or secure offline storage
• Never expose private keys in version control or logs
• Implement key rotation procedures
• Maintain encrypted backups of all keys

​

Monitoring and Alerting

• 24/7 monitoring of node health and performance
• Automated alerts for:
  • Node downtime
  • High sync lag (>100 checkpoints)
  • Low peer connectivity (less than 3 peers)
  • High error rates
  • Disk space warnings
  • Abnormal resource usage

​

Operational Expertise

• Linux system administration experience
• Understanding of blockchain consensus mechanisms
• Experience with high-availability infrastructure
• Incident response procedures
• Security best practices

​

Performance Standards

​

Availability

• Uptime: >99.5% (maximum ~3.6 hours downtime per month)
• Response time: Participate in >99% of consensus rounds
• Sync lag: Stay within 100 checkpoints of network head

​

Penalties for Poor Performance

• Reduced rewards for missed consensus participation
• Slashing if reported by 2f+1 validators for byzantine behavior
• Removal from active set if stake falls below minimum

​

Commission Structure

​

Setting Commission Rate

# Set commission rate (in basis points, 200 = 2%)
sui validator update-metadata --commission-rate 200

​

Commission Considerations

• Competitive rates: Most validators charge 2-10%
• Market dynamics: Lower rates attract more delegation
• Operational costs: Ensure commission covers infrastructure costs
• Reputation: Balance between profitability and competitiveness

​

Registration Process

​

Step 1: Generate Validator Info

sui validator make-validator-info \
  "Validator Name" \
  "Description of validator" \
  "https://example.com/logo.png" \
  "https://example.com" \
  "validator.example.com" \
  1000  # gas price

• Validator metadata
• Public keys
• Network addresses
• Initial gas price

​

Step 2: Become Candidate

sui validator become-candidate validator.info

​

Step 3: Accumulate Stake

• Accept self-stake and delegations
• Must reach minimum stake threshold
• Typically takes time to build reputation and attract delegation

​

Step 4: Join Committee

sui validator join-committee

​

Pre-Launch Checklist

​

Infrastructure

• Hardware meets or exceeds minimum requirements
• NVMe SSD storage with sufficient capacity
• Network connectivity tested (bandwidth, latency, packet loss)
• All required ports open and accessible
• Firewall configured correctly
• DDoS protection in place

​

Software

• Latest sui-node binary installed
• Configuration file validated
• Genesis blob downloaded and verified
• All key pairs generated and secured
• Node fully synced with network

​

Monitoring

• Metrics collection configured (Prometheus)
• Dashboards set up (Grafana)
• Alerting configured and tested
• Log aggregation in place
• Backup and recovery procedures tested

​

Operations

• Incident response procedures documented
• On-call rotation established (if team)
• Communication channels set up (Discord, etc.)
• Update procedures documented
• Disaster recovery plan tested

​

Security

• Keys stored securely (HSM or encrypted offline)
• Access controls implemented
• SSH keys configured (no password auth)
• System hardening completed
• Security monitoring enabled
• Backup encryption configured

​

Ongoing Responsibilities

​

Daily Operations

• Monitor node health and performance
• Check for security updates
• Review metrics and logs
• Respond to alerts
• Check validator ranking and stake

​

Weekly Tasks

• Review performance metrics
• Analyze error rates and patterns
• Check backup completion
• Test disaster recovery procedures
• Review security logs

​

Monthly Tasks

• Capacity planning review
• Cost analysis
• Update documentation
• Security audit
• Community engagement

​

As Needed

• Software updates: Apply within 24-48 hours of release
• Emergency patches: Apply immediately
• Governance participation: Vote on proposals
• Metadata updates: Keep validator info current
• Commission adjustments: Based on market conditions

​

Financial Considerations

​

Operating Costs

• Dedicated server: $1,000-2,000
• Cloud hosting: $2,000-4,000
• Bandwidth: $100-500
• Monitoring services: $50-200

• Operator time: $2,000-10,000 (depending on setup)
• On-call coverage: $1,000-5,000

• Backup storage: $100-500
• Security services: $100-1,000

​

Revenue Model

• Commission on delegated stake
• Staking rewards on self-stake

Total stake: 50M SUI
Self-stake: 5M SUI (10%)
Delegated: 45M SUI (90%)
Commission: 5%
Annual staking rewards: 3% of stake

Validator earnings:
- Self-stake rewards: 5M * 3% = 150,000 SUI
- Commission: 45M * 3% * 5% = 67,500 SUI
- Total: 217,500 SUI/year

​

Delegation Best Practices

​

Attracting Delegators

1. Reliability: Maintain high uptime and performance
2. Competitive commission: Balance profitability with attractiveness
3. Transparency: Publish regular performance reports
4. Communication: Maintain active presence in community
5. Professional setup: Well-maintained website and social presence

​

Delegator Communication

• Announce planned maintenance in advance
• Publish monthly performance reports
• Notify of commission rate changes
• Explain any incidents or downtime
• Share validator roadmap and improvements

​

Compliance and Legal

​

Regulatory Considerations

• Understand local regulations for operating blockchain infrastructure
• Consider business entity formation
• Maintain accurate financial records
• Consult with legal and tax professionals
• Implement KYC/AML if required by jurisdiction

​

Terms of Service

• Validator terms of service
• Privacy policy
• Slashing policy
• Commission change policy

​

Resources

​

Documentation

• Sui Documentation
• Validator Operations Guide
• Staking and Rewards

​

Community

• Sui Discord - #validators channel
• Sui Forum
• GitHub

​

Tools

• Sui Explorer
• SuiVision
• Validator Dashboards