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What is delegated staking?
Delegated staking is assigning the staking weight of your coins to a validator who runs the network software, so you share in the rewards without running a node yourself. On networks with native delegation the validator cannot spend your coins, but takes a commission from the rewards.
What it means for you
If your validator misbehaves, networks with slashing can cut part of its total stake, yours included, and leaving can mean an unbonding wait with no rewards and no way to sell. Compare validators' commission and record; spreading stake across several limits the damage any one can do.
How it works
On proof-of-stake networks with native delegation, a holder bonds tokens to a chosen validator, usually through a wallet or stake account. Rewards depend on the validator's work and are shared in proportion to stake, after the validator deducts its commission. The validator never gains control of delegated tokens. Delegators share its risk: on networks with slashing, part of the validator's total stake, including delegated stake, can be destroyed for misbehaviour such as double-signing. Unbonding takes a waiting period, three weeks on one network, with no rewards. Ethereum has no native delegation: staking there means running a validator with 32 ETH, hiring an operator, or joining a pool.
Sources: Cosmos Hub documentation: Delegator FAQ, Solana documentation: Staking, ethereum.org: Staking as a service · checked 4 October 2026
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