Become a TKS Validator
Secure the TKS Layer 1 blockchain and earn rewards from 5 revenue streams — block production, EVM gas fees, Cipher relay fees, username registrations, and platform revenue sharing. Up to 35% APY.
Validator Rewards
Earn from multiple sources simultaneously — not just staking.
Block Production
Earn freshly minted TKS for every block you produce. Rewards scale with your stake and lock duration.
EVM Gas Fees
Collect 100% of gas fees from every EVM transaction in your produced blocks — token transfers, NFT mints, smart contracts.
Username Fees
Every Cipher @username registration pays an on-chain fee redistributed to active validators via the treasury.
Cipher Relay Fees
Store and relay encrypted messages for offline Cipher users. Micro-fees collected for swarm participation.
Platform Revenue
A portion of presale creation ($150), token deployments ($20), and premium features flows to validators via buybacks.
Auto-Compound
Re-stake earned rewards to increase your stake weight. Earn progressively more — fully on-chain and permissionless.
VPS costs (~$15–25/month) are fully covered by staking rewards alone — or run from home for $0. All other revenue streams represent pure profit for validators.
Validator Tiers
Higher stake = higher APY. Scale your rewards by increasing your validator bond.
| Validator Stake | APY |
|---|---|
| 100,000 TKS | 35% |
| 200,000 TKS | 50% |
| 300,000 TKS | 65% |
| 500,000 TKS | 80% |
| 750,000 TKS | 100% |
| 1,000,000 TKS | 120% |
| 1,500,000 TKS | 135% |
| 2,000,000 TKS | 150% |
Reward Calculator
Estimate your validator earnings based on stake amount, lock duration, and TKS price.
Validator Reward Calculator
* Staking rewards only. Does not include gas fees, relay fees, username fees, or platform revenue share.
How It Works
Four simple steps to start earning as a TKS validator.
Acquire 100,000 TKS
Purchase TKS tokens during the presale or on a supported DEX. The minimum validator stake is 100,000 TKS.
Set Up Your Node
Rent a VPS (~$15–25/month on Hetzner, Contabo, or OVH) or run from a home machine with 4+ vCPU, 8GB+ RAM, 500GB SSD. Install the TKS node binary on Linux and sync the chain.
Register & Stake
Register as a validator candidate on-chain, bond your 100,000 TKS stake, and set your commission rate (0–100%).
Start Earning
Once elected into the active validator set, you begin producing blocks and earning rewards from all 5 revenue streams simultaneously.
Validator vs Delegator
Choose the role that fits you — run a node or delegate your stake to an existing validator.
| Feature | Validator | Delegator |
|---|---|---|
| Run a node | ||
| Produce blocks | ||
| Earn block rewards | ||
| Earn EVM gas fees | ||
| Earn relay fees | ||
| Set commission rate | ||
| Minimum stake | 100,000 TKS | No minimum |
| Hardware required | VPS or home server | None |
| Slashing risk | Yes (5% downtime) | Shared with validator |
| Unbonding period | 7 days | 7 days |
| Governance voting | ||
| Technical knowledge | Linux + CLI | Wallet only |
The TKS Blockchain
A custom Substrate-based Layer 1 powering the unified Cipher + TKS ecosystem.
Substrate Runtime
Built on Polkadot SDK with BABE + GRANDPA consensus — ~6 second blocks with deterministic finality.
Full EVM Compatibility
Frontier EVM enables MetaMask, Remix, Solidity. Deploy ERC-20, NFTs, DAOs — gas paid in ultra-cheap TKS.
P2P Storage Swarm
libp2p-powered encrypted message storage with GossipSub. Messages auto-delete after delivery or 30 days.
Cipher Integration
Powers Cipher's identity registry, username lookups, and in-app wallet — one chain for messaging, payments, and presales.
Slashing Protection
5% slash for downtime, 100% for malicious behavior. 7-day unbonding period. Honest validators are always protected.
Post-Quantum Ready
Kyber hybrid encryption pipeline ensures the network is prepared for quantum computing threats.
Network Specifications
Node Requirements
Affordable hardware — run a validator on a $15/month VPS or from your own machine at home.
| Resource | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | Ubuntu 24.04 / Debian 12 |
| CPU | 4 vCPU / 4-core | 8 vCPU / 8-core |
| RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB |
| Storage | 500 GB SSD | 1 TB NVMe |
| Bandwidth | 1 Gbps | Unmetered |
| Architecture | x86_64 (Intel/AMD) | x86_64 (ARM64 planned) |
| Runtime | Rust 1.80+, Substrate CLI | Docker optional |
| TKS Stake | 100,000 TKS | More = higher rewards |
| Est. Monthly Cost | ~$15 VPS (Hetzner) | $0 if run from home |
Cipher + TKS Unified Ecosystem
One blockchain powering privacy, payments, and presales.
Cipher — Private Messenger
Fully decentralized, anonymous messaging powered by TKS Layer 1. End-to-end encrypted with Double Ratchet + AES-256-GCM. Zero central servers. No phone or email required.
Why Validators Matter
Validators are the backbone of the Cipher + TKS ecosystem. Every message relay, username registration, and token transaction depends on your node.
Network Timeline
From testnet to full maturity — the validator journey ahead.
Testnet Launch
Mainnet Genesis
Ecosystem Growth
Full Maturity
Validator Economics
How TKS flows through the ecosystem to reward validators.
Revenue Flow to Validators
Inflation pool → Direct to block producer
dApp transactions → 100% to block producer
~10 TKS per registration → Treasury → Validator rewards
Micro-fees per message → Direct to relay node
Presale/token fees → Buyback & distribute
Slashing & Security
Penalty: 5% of staked TKS
Penalty: 100% of staked TKS
Penalty: 100% of staked TKS
Key Parameters
Frequently Asked
Everything you need to know about becoming a TKS validator.
Ready to Validate?
Validator seats are limited to 21 at genesis. Secure your position now by acquiring 100,000 TKS during the presale — before the network reaches capacity.
100,000 TKS minimum stake required • VPS ~$15/month or run from home • 21 validator seats at genesis • Testnet Q4 2026