Requirements to Run a Validator
Validators play a critical role in maintaining the security and performance of the Beam Network. With the Horizon upgrade, these requirements ensure network decentralization and security.
Staking Requirements
To operate a Beam Node as a validator, the following staking requirements must be met:
- Node Token: Stake at least 1 Node Token (ERC-721).
- BEAM: Stake a minimum of 20,000 BEAM.
- Maximum Stake Limits: Each node can stake up to 50 million BEAM and 1,000 Node Tokens to prevent validator centralization.
Hardware Requirements
Avalanche is an incredibly lightweight protocol, so nodes can run on commodity hardware with the following minimum specifications.
- CPU: Equivalent of 8 AWS vCPU
- RAM: 16 GiB
- Storage: 1 TiB
- OS: Ubuntu 20.04 or MacOS >= 12
- Network: sustained 5Mbps up/down bandwidth
The node should be configured to accept incoming TCP/IP connections on port 9651.
Continuous Fee
Validators must pay a continuous fee to Avalanche P-Chain validators:
- Fee: Initially set at 1.33 AVAX per month.
- Purpose: This fee ensures compatibility with the broader Avalanche network during the transition period.
In terms of the AVAX fee, Beam Foundation intends to, as part of a validator incentive program, grant approximately $750,000 in AVAX to subsidize the threshold of becoming a validator. Additionally, the Beam Foundation intends to participate in an upcoming Avalanche Community Proposal (ACP) to lower these costs gradually.
Next Steps
If you are sure to meet all the requirements you can now go ahead and start spinning up your validator node for the Beam Network.