Step 1. Begin operating a Cardano Stake Pool
Midnight serves as a partner-chain to Cardano, presenting a distinctive opportunity for Cardano Stake Pool Operators (SPOs) to uphold the decentralization and security of Midnight. For SPOs interested in producing blocks for Midnight, they must register as candidates in the validator committee for the Midnight partner-chain.
To embark on the path of becoming a Midnight validator, one must either be, or become, a Cardano stake pool operator (SPO) within a Cardano environment that is supported for this role.
Supported environments
| Cardano env. | Status | Midnight env. |
|---|---|---|
preview | ✅ | testnet |
preprod | ❌ | N/A |
mainnet | ❌ | N/A |
1a. Become a Cardano SPO
Requirements
- Cardano node version
9.1.1. Please use this version. - 500
tAda+ fee for stake pool pledge. - A UTXO for the Midnight validator registration fee, with its
payment.skey. - SPO
cold.skeywill also be needed within the Midnight validator registration process. - Air-gapped device for secret storage (optional for testnets).
Useful Cardano stake pool operation resources
- Guild Operators SPO toolkit - Recommended to quickly setup an SPO.