▪️FAQs

What is a validator?

Validators form the backbone of the VagaChain blockchain network. By processing transactions and participating in consensus, each validator helps make VagaChain the most reliable high-performance blockchain in the world.

Who can run a validator node?

During the initial stage of building up the first set of public validators nodes on the VagaChain blockchain network, anyone can apply to participate in the Validator Onboarding Program.

After the program is completed and network stability has been verified by all network participants, anyone will be able to run a validator node on VagaChain thereafter with no limitations.

Why should I run a validator node?

When running your own node, you greatly contribute to the VagaChain blockchain network by increasing safety and decentralisation. Nodes also enable faster response times and quick uninterrupted access to the chain state if you have your own dApp interacting with VagaChain.

A validator node or full node is further rewarded by gaining a commission from each block provision and transaction fee, proportional to their staked amount.

Validator node operators also have the opportunity to participate in governance; the democratic process that allows users and validators to make changes to the VagaChain blockchain protocol.

How do I get help running a validator node?

Please open a support ticket on the Vagabond website: https://vagabonds.cloud/contact

You can also access our Discord server and our Telegram discussions group. We have a very active community of helpful members that may have the answer to your question(s). Telegram: https://t.me/vagabonddiscussion Discord: https://discord.com/invite/3ty3u3u5Gy

How do I recover my node if my machine breaks?

To recover your node on a new machine, start by making sure your previous machine is not going to be online again with the keys available, as two nodes running with the same keys will get you slashed.

Follow the steps to install a VagaChain validator node on the new machine. Then, use your backup data to recover your node wallet account and replace the consensus key.

• The Consensus key, stored in ~/.vagachain/config/priv_validator_key.json

• The mnemonic to the validator wallet account

• Restart your validator node when done

Fees

Validators are responsible for setting their own minimum fee price. This price is the minimum fee amount that the validator’s node will accept when receiving a transaction or adding a transaction to a block for proposal.

Block Rewards

The VagaChain protocol incentivises validators with staking rewards from gas fees and inflation rewards:

Gas Fees: Compute fees added on to each transaction to avoid spamming. Validators set minimum gas prices and reject transactions that have implied gas prices below this threshold.

Inflationary Block Rewards: Every block, new Vaga is minted and released to validators as staking rewards. The rate for the minting of this new Vaga is fixed at 0.14% per block.

Claiming & Re-Staking Block Rewards

Validators must manually submit a transaction to withdraw their rewards from the reward pool. Because of this, automatic redelegation of rewards is not possible on-chain. Validators are therefore responsible for withdrawing and redelegating their rewards manually when desired. When withdrawing, all of the claimant’s available rewards are withdrawn from the reward pool.

Unbonding

Validators can submit an unbonding transaction to remove their staked coins. Once the transaction is processed the staked coins will enter an unbonding period of 21 days.

During the unbonding period, the staked coins will not earn any validator income, but are still susceptible to slashing penalties. After the unbonding period, the coins will be fully released to the wallet where they will once again be available to carry out transactions with.

The 21-day unbonding process assists in the long-term stability of the VagaChain protocol. The unbonding period discourages volatility by locking staked Vaga in the system for at least 21 days.

Slashing

Validators committing a slashable offense will have their stake removed by a slash factor. Slashed validators also get jailed, or excluded, from consensus for a period of time.

Slashing occurs on VagaChain under the following conditions:

• Double signing: When a validator signs two different blocks with the same chain ID at the same height.

• Downtime: When a validator is unresponsive or can't be reached for a period of time.

• Missed votes: When a validator misses votes in consensus.

Validators monitor each other closely and can submit evidence of misbehaviour. Once discovered, the misbehaving validator will have a small portion of their funds slashed. Even simple issues such as malfunctions or downtimes from upgrading can lead to slashing.

Is there a validator node onboarding program?

Yes. Please refer to the following documentation: Validator Onboarding Program

Is there a Bug Bounty program?

Yes! One of our top priorities is the security and safety of the network. We welcome security researchers to submit bug reports and earn rewards for their work.