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Requirements

Prerequisites

Before operating a validator on the Analog network, ensure you meet the following requirements:

  1. System Administration Expertise:
    • Ability to manage server infrastructure, troubleshoot technical anomalies and optimize node performance.
    • Experience with monitoring tools, maintaining high uptime, and applying critical updates.
  2. Secure Infrastructure:
    • Implement robust security measures to protect your node from breaches (see Security Best Practices for more details).
  3. Start with Testnet:
    • Begin on the Analog Testnet to gain hands-on experience, test configurations, and minimize risks before transitioning to Mainnet.
  4. Staking Requirements:
    • A minimum of 100,000 $ANLOG is currently required to be whitelisted as a validator.
    • However, to be elected into the active set and earn rewards, ensure you meet the minimum bond requirement. See Minimum Bond Requirements for more details.

This threshold will change as the protocol decentralizes. See Decentralization Roadmap for more details.

  1. Slashing Risks
  • Misbehavior (e.g., downtime, equivocation) or infrastructure failures may result in slashing, leading to a loss of staked $ANLOG.
  • If uncertain about maintaining reliable uptime, consider nominating $ANLOG to a trusted validator instead.

Technical Requirements

Reference Hardware

Timechain’s transaction weights are based on specific hardware benchmarks tested on AWS’s c6i.xlarge . To process blocks efficiently, we recommend using hardware that meets or surpasses these benchmarks.

CPU:

  • x86_64 architecture
  • 8 physical cores

The process must meet the following specifications:

  • Intel - Ice Lake or newer (Core or Xeon series)
  • AMD - Zen3 or newer (EPYC or Ryzen).
  • A processor selection with emphasis on single-threaded performance  over a higher core count.

Memory:

  • At least 16 GB

Storage:

  • At least 300 GB storage (NVMe SSD). It is worth noting that the size of the Timechain and its ecosystem will grow over time, making storage scaling essential.

Network:

  • A minimum symmetric network speed of 500MBps is required.

While a less powerful machine might seem like an option, it is not a gamble you want to entertain due to the inherent risk of performance.

Reference OS

  • The Timechain's binary files have been compiled and tested on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. However, the steps should be similar for other Ubuntu versions, such as 18.04 LTS or 20.04 LTS.

Minimum Bond Requirements

To become a validator on the Analog network, you must first be whitelisted by holding at least 100,000 $ANLOG. After whitelisting, you'll need to be elected into the active validator set to start producing blocks and earning rewards. This requires staking a minimum bond, which includes enough $ANLOG tokens for a stash with the existential deposit and transaction fees.

While nominators can contribute to your stake, you'll need a base amount. For instance, as of March 25, 2025, the minimum stake to join the active set was 10.9425 million $ANLOG. You can find up-to-date figures via this link .

OverviewDecentralization Roadmap