Polkadot — Nominators vs. Validators

The terms “nominator” and “validator” are commonly used in the Polkadot and Kusama space. Both are referring to a role in the staking process. That being said, they are very different. We will be going over each one and covering what they do!

Nominator

Nominators are the people who support the ecosystem by staking their DOT. Learn how to do that in my guide here! When you stake your DOT, you’re able to choose which validator you share it with. This decision matters greatly because if the validator you choose gets slashed then you lose that portion of your staked DOT. Before staking your DOT, it is suggested that you do your own due diligence on the potential validator so you know what you’re getting into. Doing your own due diligence also will decrease the chances of getting slashed. Lastly, every nominator should periodically check on their validators to make sure they’re not nominating to an oversubscribed validator. If you’re not sure what that is, click here to read the official article on oversubscribed validators.

Validator

Validators are the other participants of the Polkadot staking system. Instead of participating by staking their DOT like nominators, they are on the receiving side of that DOT! Validators are the ones that actually dig into blocks and are actively running a node. This is a more active approach to staking, while the nominator is more of a passive approach. Although, nominators also have to watch out for things such as oversubscribed validators. If you’re interested in possibly becoming a validator, click here to read the official Polkadot article!