Delegation

TL;DR

Delegation is planned for Asentum: once it ships, anyone holding ASE will be able to back a validator with their tokens and earn a share of the rewards that validator generates, without running any software. Today the testnet is self-bond only: validators stake their own ASE (500 ASE minimum, 50,000,000 ASE maximum) and nobody else can add stake to them.

What delegation is

In a proof-of-stake blockchain, validators are the nodes that produce blocks and vote on consensus. To participate, validators have to put up collateral - they "bond" tokens that can be taken away (slashed) if they misbehave.

Delegation lets you put your own tokens behind someone else's validator, sharing in the rewards they earn - and the penalties they incur. You don't run any software. You don't manage any keys beyond your normal wallet. You point your stake at a validator and let them do the work.

It's the difference between:

• Validating - you run a node, you keep it online, you produce blocks in your Aura slots and cast GRANDPA finality votes, you take operational responsibility, you earn the full reward.
• Delegating - you pick someone who is already validating, you give them your stake to count toward their voting power, you earn a portion of what they earn.

Why delegation matters for Asentum

Asentum's foundational goal is real decentralization - not the kind where 21 well-funded nodes call themselves a network, but the kind where thousands of independent participants share in securing and governing the chain. Delegation is how we get there. Without it:

1. Most ASE would sit idle. Token holders who couldn't or wouldn't run nodes would have no way to put their stake to work.
2. The validator set would be limited to the technical-and-wealthy intersection. You'd need both the operational skill to run a node and enough capital to make it worthwhile.
3. Skilled operators with no capital would be locked out. Some of the best validators in any PoS network are people who know how to run reliable infrastructure but don't personally hold a lot of tokens.
4. Holders would have no aligned interest in network health. A token holder who isn't earning anything from the network is just speculating on price.

What is live today

• Self-bond only. A validator bonds its own ASE: at least 500 ASE and at most 50,000,000 ASE.
• Unbonding. Unbonded self-bond is released after 1,296,000 blocks (about 30 days at 2-second blocks; longer when blocks are slower).
• Reward cap. Each validator is capped at 10% of a block's rewards; any excess returns to the reward pool.
• Slashing. A proven equivocation removes the validator from the active set (tombstoning). No stake is burned today; burning is planned.

How it is expected to work

The broad shape, subject to change before it ships:

1. You hold some ASE in a wallet.
2. You pick a validator using its public record: uptime, slashing history and total stake.
3. You bond ASE to that validator, where it counts toward the validator's weight.
4. You earn a share of its rewards, and you share its risk.
5. You can withdraw, subject to an unbonding period.

Commission rules, minimum amounts, redelegation and the delegator unbonding period are not decided yet and will be published with the feature.

Shared risk

In most delegated proof-of-stake designs, delegators share in a validator's penalties as well as its rewards. That is what gives delegators a reason to pick good validators rather than chase the highest published yield.

On Asentum today, slashing is tombstone-only: a proven equivocation removes the validator from the active set and no stake is burned. How penalties will apply to delegated stake will be defined when delegation ships. Either way, delegation will not be risk-free yield.

How to choose a validator

Things worth looking at once delegation is available:

• Uptime history. Has this validator been online consistently? Missed blocks erode trust.
• Slashing history. Has this validator ever been tombstoned? That is a red flag.
• Self-bond. How much of the validator's stake is the operator's own money? Higher self-bond means more skin in the game.
• Total stake. Backing a smaller validator helps decentralize.
• Communication and reputation. Anonymous validators aren't bad by default, but accountable operators have more reason to behave.