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Step 2) Setup a Validator Account

Before creating a validator account, make sure you are running a Sentry node with the chain synced to the latest block as specified in this step.

Step 2.1) Create a validator account

To setup a validator account, run the following command with your desired validator key name.

routerd keys add my-validator-key --chain-id router_9601-1 --keyring-backend file

The aforementioned command will create a new wallet with name my-validator-key and will ask you to set a password.

caution

Remember the password used or store it in a safe place. 

# example output

- name: my-validator-key
  type: local
  address: router13cyxzsfvmfxsn23spl4nhu0xn307uvj2vju5q0
  pubkey: '{"@type":"/routerprotocol.routerchain.crypto.ethsecp256k1.PubKey",
  mnemonic: ""
  
**Important** write this mnemonic phrase in a safe place.
It is the only way to recover your account if you ever forget your password.

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tip

The mnemonic phrase is better backed up on a physical paper, storing it in cloud storage may compromise the validator later.

tip

Remember the address starting from router, this is the address of your Router chain validator account.

Step 2.2) Obtain ROUTE tokens

Obtain ROUTE tokens on the Router chain from the testnet faucet.

After a few minutes, you can verify the deposit on the explorer UI. Alternatively, account balance can be queried using the routerd CLI with the following command:

routerd query bank balances $(routerd keys show my-validator-key -a --keyring-backend file) --chain-id router_9601-1 --keyring-backend file
Step 2.3) Set the staking parameters and run your validator account

Now, initialize a new validator with a self-delegation of ROUTE tokens. Most critically, you will need to decide on the values of the validator's staking parameters.

routerd tx staking create-validator \
  --amount=100000000000000000000route \
  --pubkey=$(routerd tendermint show-validator) \
  --moniker=val-node1 \
  --chain-id=router_9601-1 \
  --commission-rate="0.10" \
  --commission-max-rate="0.20" \
  --commission-max-change-rate="0.01" \
  --min-self-delegation="1000000" \
  --gas="auto" \
  --fees="100000000000000route" \
  --from=my-validator-key \
  --gas-adjustment=1.5 \
  --keyring-backend=file
  • amount flag is the initial amount of ROUTE you're willing to bond
  • pubkey is the validator public key created earlier
  • moniker is the human readable name you choose for your validator
  • chain-id is the network id of the chain you are working with (in the case of Router testnet: router_9601-1)
  • commission-rate is the initial commission rate you will charge your delegates
  • commission-max-rate is the highest rate you are allowed to charge your delegates
  • commission-max-change-rate is how much you can increase your commission rate in a 24 hour period
  • min-self-delegation is the lowest amount of personal funds the validator is required to have in their validator to stay bonded
  • from flag is the KEY_NAME you created while initializing the key on your keyring

Verify that the validator was successfully setup by checking the staking dashboard or by entering the CLI command given below.

routerd query staking validator $(routerd keys show my-validator-key -a --keyring-backend file) --chain-id router_9601-1 --keyring-backend file

If you see your validator in the list of validators, then congratulations, you have officially joined the Router testnet as a staking validator! 🎉

After setting up the validator, immediately proceed to setup the orchestrator. This is a necessary step in order to prevent the validator from being slashed.