Solana staking guides: plain answers for SOL holders
Plain answers to the questions people ask before and after they stake SOL, checked against live network data.
Start here
How to choose a Solana validator
The red flags to skip and the three numbers to compare.
5 min readIs staking SOL safe?
What can go wrong, what can't, and why your SOL stays yours.
6 min readHow to stake SOL
Step by step in Phantom, Solflare or Ledger.
8 min readStake SOL with a Ledger
Use Ledger Wallet, or connect it to Phantom or Solflare.
3 min read
See what you really keep after fees
Solana validator commission explained
Inflation, MEV and priority fees, explained.
6 min readWhat is MEV commission?
The second fee, and how tips reach you.
3 min readWhere staking rewards come from
Four income streams and when each one pays.
7 min readWhat is a commission rug pull?
How some validators take extra rewards, and how to spot it.
7 min read
When you want out, or something goes wrong
How to unstake SOL
The steps, and how long you'll wait.
7 min readHow to switch validators
Steps, what it costs, and when waiting is better.
4 min readMy validator is offline — what now?
You lose rewards, not SOL. What to check and when to move.
6 min readGet alerts for your validator
What to watch, and how to be told in time.
3 min readWhat did Alpenglow change for stakers?
What changed at epoch 1064, and what to check.
5 min read