Staking & Validators

RougeChain uses Proof of Stake (PoS) for consensus. Validators stake XRGE tokens to participate in block production and earn rewards.

How It Works

1. Stake tokens - Lock XRGE to become a validator
2. Propose blocks - Selected validators propose new blocks
3. Earn rewards - Collect transaction fees from blocks you produce
4. Unstake - Wait for unbonding period to withdraw

Requirements

Become a Validator

Via Web UI

1. Go to the Validators page
2. Click Stake
3. Enter amount (min 1,000 XRGE)
4. Confirm transaction

Via API

curl -X POST https://testnet.rougechain.io/api/stake/submit \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "fromPrivateKey": "your-private-key",
    "fromPublicKey": "your-public-key",
    "amount": 1000
  }'

Check Your Stake

curl "https://testnet.rougechain.io/api/validators?publicKey=your-public-key"

Response:

{
  "validators": [
    {
      "publicKey": "your-public-key",
      "stake": 1000.0,
      "status": "active",
      "blocksProposed": 42
    }
  ]
}

Unstake

Via API

curl -X POST https://testnet.rougechain.io/api/unstake/submit \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "fromPrivateKey": "your-private-key",
    "fromPublicKey": "your-public-key",
    "amount": 500
  }'

Validator Selection

Block proposers are selected using:

1. Stake weight - Higher stake = higher probability
2. Quantum entropy - Unpredictable randomness
3. Round-robin fallback - Ensures all validators participate

Rewards

Validators earn:

• Transaction fees from blocks they produce
• Base block reward (if configured)

Fees are credited immediately when a block is finalized.

PQC Security

All validator operations use ML-DSA-65 signatures:

• Block proposals are signed
• Stake/unstake transactions are signed
• Signatures are verified by all nodes

This ensures quantum-resistant security for the entire consensus process.