Validators
Validator selection, staking, delegation, slashing, downtime handling, and tie-breaking rules.
Validators provide economic security for the Xhavic network by verifying state transitions, resolving disputes, and ensuring protocol integrity through staking and oversight.
Becoming a Validator
Anyone can become a validator candidate by staking XHAV tokens. The active validator set consists of the top 100 candidates by total stake. Validators are ranked by:
- Total stake (own stake + delegated stake)
- Historical uptime
- Performance metrics (latency, response time)
Validator Parameters
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Active set size | Top 100 by stake |
| Selection model | Stake-weighted (XHAV token) |
| Delegation | Supported |
| Minimum uptime | 95% (30-day rolling) |
| Epoch duration | 2 hours |
Delegation
Token holders who do not wish to run validator infrastructure can delegate their XHAV stake to an existing validator. Delegators share proportionally in both rewards and slashing penalties.
Slashing
Validators face economic penalties for misbehavior:
| Violation | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Extended downtime (below 95% uptime) | 5% of stake |
| Submitting invalid fraud proof | 25% of stake |
| Double-signing | 100% of stake (full slash) |
Downtime Handling
If a validator’s uptime drops below the 95% threshold (measured on a 30-day rolling basis):
- The validator is jailed (removed from the active set)
- Block rewards are paused
- Staked funds may be partially slashed (5%)
- The validator must complete a recovery period before rejoining the active set
Tie-Breaking
When multiple validators have identical stake and uptime, the protocol uses deterministic tie-breaking:
- Higher historical uptime (longer track record)
- Longer continuous staking duration
- Better performance metrics (latency, response time)
- Deterministic hash-based lottery (final fallback)
This prevents randomness manipulation and gaming of the validator selection process.
Sequencer vs Validator Roles
| Current (v1 Alpha) | Future Architecture | |
|---|---|---|
| Sequencer | Separate system role (Xhavic Foundation) | Rotates among validators |
| Validators | Verify state transitions, resolve disputes | Jointly perform sequencing and settlement |
In the current Alpha phase, the sequencer and validators are separate roles. In future phases, sequencing rights will rotate among validators based on stake, uptime, and performance.
New Validator Synchronization
New validators joining the network do not need to replay from genesis:
- Download the latest global state snapshot
- Verify the state root against L1 (Ethereum)
- Begin validating from the latest block
This is similar to Ethereum’s fast-sync mechanism and significantly reduces synchronization time and storage requirements.