> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://starkware-9575960b-starkzapv3.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Becoming a validator

## Overview

Welcome to the second installment of the *Help secure Starknet* guide! 🛡️

After running your own full node, you can take an additional step to help secure Starknet by becoming a validator.
While running a node already contributes to the network's decentralization, becoming a validator allows you to earn rewards while taking on [additional responsibilities](/secure/quickstart/attesting-to-blocks).

This installment of the series will therefore walk you through the validator onboarding process, including [staking STRK tokens](#staking-strk), [setting your commission](#setting-commission), [opening a delegation pool](#opening-a-delegation-pool), and [verifying that the procedure was successful](#verifying-stakes).

<Note>
  The steps in this installment are demonstrated on Sepolia. For the equivalent addresses on Mainnet, see [Chain information](/learn/cheatsheets/chain-info#important-addresses).
</Note>

## Prerequisites

Besides [the prerequisites for running a full node](/secure/quickstart/running-a-node#prerequisites), becoming a Starknet validator requires three accounts deployed on either Sepolia or Mainnet. To follow this guide, these account should be configured as follows:

<Note>
  To understand the role of the each account, read more about [validator addresses in the staking protocol](/learn/protocol/staking#addresses).
</Note>

* An account with its address exported using:

  ```shell theme={null}
  export OPERATIONAL_ADDRESS=<YOUR_OPERATOR_ADDRESS>

  ```
* An account with its address exported using:

  ```shell theme={null}
  export REWARDS_ADDRESS=<YOUR_REWARDEE_ACCOUNT_ADDRESS>

  ```
* An `sncast` account named `staker` holding at least [the minimum required amount of STRK tokens](/learn/protocol/staking#protocol) with its address exported using:

  ```shell theme={null}
  export STAKING_ADDRESS=<YOUR_STAKER_ACCOUNT_ADDRESS>

  ```

  <Tip>
    For deploying and funding an `sncast` account on Sepolia, see [Deploying a new Sepolia account](/build/quickstart/sepolia#deploying-a-new-sepolia-account).
  </Tip>

## Staking STRK

To become a validator, you must stake least [the minimum required amount of STRK tokens](/learn/protocol/staking#protocol) by locking them into Starknet's Staking contract.

### Approving STRK transfer

To stake your STRK tokens, you first need to approve the transfer of STRK tokens from your staking address to the Staking contract.

To do so, use your staking address to invoke the STRK token contract's `approve` function with the following parameters:

1. The Staking contract's address
2. The number of STRK tokens to stake

For example, the following can be used to approve the transfer of 1 STRK to the Staking contract on Sepolia:

```shell theme={null}
sncast --account=staker invoke \
    --contract-address=0x04718f5a0fc34cc1af16a1cdee98ffb20c31f5cd61d6ab07201858f4287c938d \ (1)
    --function=approve \
    --arguments=0x03745ab04a431fc02871a139be6b93d9260b0ff3e779ad9c8b377183b23109f1,1000000000000000000 \ (2)
    --network=sepolia
```

1. The STRK contract's address on Sepolia
2. The Staking contract's address on Sepolia and 1 STRK (STRK has 18 decimals)

### Locking STRK

Once the transfer is approved, you can lock your STRK tokens into the Staking contract by using your staking address to invoke the Staking contract's `stake` function with the following parameters:

1. The address to set as your rewards address
2. The address to set as your operational address
3. The number of STRK tokens to stake

<Note>
  The number of STRK tokens to stake must match the number specified in the `approve` function.
</Note>

For example, the following can be used to stake 1 STRK with delegation pooling enabled and 1% commission on Sepolia:

```shell theme={null}
sncast --account=staker invoke \
    --contract-address=0x03745ab04a431fc02871a139be6b93d9260b0ff3e779ad9c8b377183b23109f1 \ (1)
    --function=stake \
    --arguments=$REWARDS_ADDRESS,$OPERATIONAL_ADDRESS,1000000000000000000 \ (2)
    --network=sepolia
```

1. The Staking contract's address on Sepolia
2. 1 staked STRK (STRK has 18 decimals), delegation pooling enabled, and 100/10,000 = 1% commission

## Setting commission

Once your STRK tokens are locked, you can initialize your commission by using your staking address to invoke the Staking contract's `set_commission` function with the following parameters:

1. The commission rate to set for your delegation pool, as a percentage with precision where 10,000 represents 100%

For example, the following can be used to initialize a 1% commission on Sepolia:

```terminal theme={null}
sncast --account=staker invoke \
    --contract-address=0x03745ab04a431fc02871a139be6b93d9260b0ff3e779ad9c8b377183b23109f1 \ (1)
    --function=set_commission \
    --arguments=100 \ (2)
    --network=sepolia 
```

1. The Staking contract's address on Sepolia
2. 100/10,000 = 1% commission

## Opening delegation pools

Once your commission is initialized, you can open a delegation pool by using your staking address to invoke the Staking contract's `set_open_for_delegation` function with the following parameters:

1. The token address to set for your delegation pool

<Tip>
  To review the addresses of all BTC tokenizations ("BTC wrappers"), use the staking contract's [`get_active_tokens`](https://github.com/starkware-libs/starknet-staking/blob/main/docs/spec.md#get_active_tokens) function.
</Tip>

For example, the following can be used to open an STRK delegation pool on Sepolia:

```terminal theme={null}
sncast --account=staker invoke \
    --contract-address=0x03745ab04a431fc02871a139be6b93d9260b0ff3e779ad9c8b377183b23109f1 \ (1)
    --function=set_open_for_delegation \
    --arguments=0x04718f5a0fc34cc1af16a1cdee98ffb20c31f5cd61d6ab07201858f4287c938d \ (2)
    --network=sepolia 
```

1. The Staking contract's address on Sepolia
2. The STRK contract's address on Sepolia

## Getting information

To verify that the staking procedure has been successful, you can call the Staking contract's `get_staker_info_v1` function with your staking address as parameter.

For example, the following can be used to verify your staking on Sepolia:

```shell theme={null}
sncast call \
    --contract-address=0x03745ab04a431fc02871a139be6b93d9260b0ff3e779ad9c8b377183b23109f1 \ (1)
    --function=get_staker_info_v1 \
    --arguments=$STAKING_ADDRESS \
    --network=sepolia
```

1. The Staking contract's address on Sepolia

If all goes well, the result should be similar to the following:

```shell theme={null}
response: [
    0x0, (1)
    0xdeadbeef1, (2)
    0xdeadbeef2, (3)
    0x1, (4)
    0xde0b6b3a7640000, (5)
    0x0, (6)
    0x0, (7)
    0x5aa0ca4c068a87f894e8d3918e16ea616df631c28f9c39eae040abfb4966881, (8)
    0x0, (9)
    0x64 (10)
]
```

1. Indicates successfully getting the staker's info
2. The validator's rewards address
3. The validator's operational address
4. The validator's stake
5. The validator's index
6. The validator's unclaimed rewards
7. Indicates successfully getting the delegation pool's info
8. The delegation pool's stake
9. The delegation pool's unclaimed rewards
10. The delegation pool's commission ($64_{16} = 100$)