Become a delegate

In the Hydra network

BECOME A DELEGATE
IN THE HYDRA NETWORK

Delegates are at the heart of IOP’s public and permissionless Hydra Blockchain. Active delegates are those from the community who have been elected and authorized to mine / forge Hydra tokens.

Mining is the process of discovering blocks in a Proof of Work (POW) consensus model such as Bitcoin and then being compensated for it. This process is called forging in a Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS) consensus model.

While there can only be 53 active forging delegates in Hydra, registered non-forging delegates are enrolled on standby. A non-forging delegate can jump in at any point and replace one of the top 53 active delegates that fall out of service.

This scheme is very resilient and provides non-forging delegates an opportunity to replace active ones at any moment if the community votes a new delegate into the active forging position instead. If you believe you can help secure the network and add value to the wider ecosystem, you can learn how to become a delegate here.

WHAT IS A DELEGATE?

The Hydra ledger is constructed and secured by 53 active forging (aka mining) delegates through a DPoS consensus model. Delegates operate nodes that validate new blocks and transactions in order to secure the blockchain.

Anyone can operate a Hydra node and register a delegate. However, only delegates who have been voted into the top 53 positions can forge (create) new blocks and be rewarded with Hydra tokens. The delegate system is extremely competitive, as a delegate can move in or out of the top 53 forging positions at any time.

WHY BECOME A DELEGATE?

There are many reasons to become a delegate for Hydra such as being part of an innovative and cutting-edge team to forming enduring friendships within our delegate community. We hold delegates with high regard in our community because of their crucial function.

THE HYDRA STACK NEEDS DELEGATES

Economically and technically, it’s all about the Hydra Stack and our underlying infrastructure that is free from entry barriers and censorship. To secure and maintain this system, we need a league of “Delegates” who are rewarded for making this system fast, resilient, and possible.

SECURE THE NETWORK

To help secure the Hydra ledger, you will be an essential component. You will operate your node to help verify transactions and strengthen the Hydra Blockchain. In addition to this infrastructure, our self-sovereign identity system requires a rapid and

FORGE NEW BLOCKS

Delegate nodes are accountable for forging (mining) fresh blocks, thereby increasing and growing the network one block at a time. Every 12 seconds, a Hydra delegate effectively validates a block and produces 8 HYD in reward.

GROW THE ECOSYSTEM

Being a Hydra delegate is being part of something remarkable. You will represent Hydra Token Holders as an elected delegate and have a powerful voice that proposes thoughts or modifications to the Hydra network. You help us enhance and develop the ecosystem by becoming a delegate!

WHAT’S
REQUIRED

Anyone can become a Hydra delegate.
All you need is a solid setup and a fantastic
community-driven attitude.

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS

You’ll need a few things to run your delegate node. At minimum, you’ll need a good setup with some basic memory requirements. We recommend two CPU Cores, at least 8GB of RAM, Ubuntu 18.04 (or any version of Linux that you’re comfortable with), and a 40GB+ SSD.

You will need a dedicated server and ideally a backup server. We highly recommend delegate servers to be placed in high-quality networks and not cheap VPS providers. As we have a global reach, all delegates must be interconnected in decent data centers with proper infrastructure.

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND EXPERIENCE

The encouraging news is that it’s simple to get involved with Hydra. It would be helpful to have a good working knowledge of network technology, but all you need is a willingness to learn. Even if you have never seen a command prompt before, we have step-by-step tutorials and a supportive community ready to educate anyone

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

As a delegate you should be involved and connected to the community to secure votes. Forging delegate slots are extremely competitive and it will involve doing more than just operating a node to secure your place.
Offering extra services is highly beneficial and desirable to voters such as checking code for bugs, reporting vulnerabilities, or community outreach. This could be the distinction between being voted in or out.

THE PROCESS TO BECOME A DELEGATE

If you want to become a delegate, please follow the instructions on our GitHub:

REGISTERING YOUR DELEGATE

The first steps are registering your delegate in the Hydra Desktop Wallet and setting up your node. First make sure that you download the wallet and follow the instructions for starting the process below:

CLAIMING YOUR DELEGATE

The next step is to claim your delegate on the community-run Hydra Delegates website once you are up and running. You must submit a proposition to share with voters once you have claimed your delegate.

Your proposition should clarify your network configuration, suggested payout percentage, and any extra services to which you will contribute.

You are now ready to introduce your delegate to the community. Best of luck!

HYDRA
DELEGATES

Visit our community-run delegate resource for more information on delegate proposals and how to submit your own.

JOIN THE DELEGATE COMMUNITY

Our delegates are always on hand to assist with any general queries or to let you know what it takes to become a Hydra delegate. To get involved with the delegate community join our Discord here: