Choosing a Validator: Reference Criteria

Entry last verified September 2026.

The five figures

Figure	Why it matters	Where published
Uptime history	Missed attestations cost you rewards	Network explorers
Commission rate	Taken from your rewards	Validator profile
Total stake delegated	Concentration affects network health	Network explorers
Slashing history	Direct loss to delegators	Network explorers
Client software run	Diversity affects everyone	Some operators publish it

Why the lowest commission is frequently wrong

A validator charging nothing with poor uptime costs you more than one charging a normal rate with excellent uptime, because missed attestations exceed the commission difference.

Compare net rewards over a period rather than the headline rate. Explorers publish realised performance per validator, which is the figure that matters.

The concentration consideration

Delegating to an already-large validator increases concentration on the network.

It costs you nothing to delegate to a smaller reliable operator instead, and it improves the network’s distribution. Several networks publish concentration statistics precisely to encourage this.

Client software

A network where a supermajority of stake runs one implementation has a single point of failure that validator count does not address.

Operators running minority clients contribute disproportionately to network resilience. Some publish which client they run, and asking is reasonable.

Slashing history

Rare among established operators and permanent when it happens.

A validator with a slashing event in its history has demonstrated an operational failure. Whether that is disqualifying depends on when it happened and what changed afterwards, and both are usually documented.

The alternatives to choosing

Exchange staking. The venue selects operators and takes a fee. Simplest, and it introduces counterparty exposure. Terms are published by platforms including a regulated European platform.

Liquid staking protocols. A protocol distributes stake across operators and issues a tradeable receipt. Removes the lock-up and adds smart contract risk.

Both remove the selection decision and add a different one.

The figures to collect before delegating

Net realised rewards over the last few months, uptime, commission, total stake, and slashing history.

All five are on the network’s explorer. Fifteen minutes, and the difference between a well-chosen validator and a badly chosen one compounds over the holding period.