Deposit 32 ETH
You are about to make the deposit on the official Ethereum Staking Launchpad web site. This is a serious commitment and cannot be reversed once you completed the deposit.
Visiting the official Staking Lanuchpad is the ONLY way you can make the deposit. Do not attempt to manually send funds to the deposit contract or your will lose your funds.
Staking Launchpad: https://launchpad.ethereum.org
Before you Begin
Before you begin the deposit process:
Check that you have obtained the deposit data file (
deposit_data-xxxxxx.jsonfile) from the Key Generation step. Make sure you have written down the secret recovery phrase and have kept it very safe.Use a browser with a connected wallet. For best experience, it is recommended to use a desktop or laptop computer with Metamask installed as a browser-extension wallet. If you have a hardware wallet such as Trezor or Ledger, connect your hardware wallet to Metamask. You can find instructions on how to do this here. Please be assured that connecting your hardware wallet through Metamask is a safe operation, because your private keys remain secured only in your hardware wallet and you are not relying on Metamask to manage your keys.
Make sure you have prepared 32 ETH (plus some gas) in your wallet for each validator you plan to stake. This ETH can be in your Metamask account, or if you have connected your hardware wallet to Metamask as described above, it can reside in your hardware wallet. There is no need to transfer the ETH from your hardware wallet to your Metamask account.
Step 1: Visit the Staking Launchpad Site
Visit the Staking Launchpad site and click on the Become a Validator button.
Read the advisories, which provide important information about the commitment required to be a validator. Note that some checklist items may not be applicable to you because AVADO has already taken care of hardware and software configuration, and have eliminated the need for you to use the command line.
On the Confirmation screen, click CONTINUE to confirm your understanding and agreement.
On the subsequent pages:
Ignore the instructions for choosing and installing Execution and Consensus clients since you have already done this on AVADO. If you haven't, refer back to the instructions on Setting up the ETH Clients.
Disregard the details on the "Generate key pairs" page as you have already completed this step. You can ignore the settings for the number of validators and withdrawal address, as this information should already be in the deposit data file. If you haven't generated your keys, go back and follow the instructions on Generating Keys.
Simply scroll down to the bottom of the page, check the box to confirm that you have your keys and have securely stored your mnemonic phrase, and then click CONTINUE.
Step 2: Upload the Deposit Data File
On the "Upload Deposit File" page:
Drag your deposit data file (with a name like
deposit_data-xxxxxx.json) into the designated window. Only upload the deposit data file, not your keystore json files.
After dragging the deposit data file, look for a blue check mark, indicating that the deposit data file is valid. Once you see the check mark, you can click Continue.
Step 3: Connect Your Wallet
On the "Connect Wallet" page:
Suggest you choose Metamask. If you have a hardware wallet such as Trezor or Ledger, connect your hardware wallet to Metamask.
Make sure you are connected to Ethereum Mainnet on Metamask, and you have selected the correct Metamask or hardware wallet account that contains your 32 ETH (plus gas). In case you have connected to an account with insufficient ETH, you will see a warning as below:
Once Launchpad is able to connect with your chosen account, click Continue.
Step 4: Make the Deposit
On the "Summary" page:
Review the details and check all the boxes to confirm understanding.
You can also check the deposit contract address to confirm you are depositing your ETH's to a correct address. (Note: follow the procedure below to make the deposit. Do not send your ETH's directly to the deposit contract address. You will lose your funds.)
Click Continue
On the "Transactions" page:
You must sign an individual transaction for each key created in the deposit data file. You can initiate these all at once, or sign them individually from the key list below.
Take a deep breath.
Click Initiate The Transaction to continue.
Confirm the transaction(s) in the Metamask wallet. If you have connected a hardware wallet, you will also physically press the buttons on the wallet device to confirm each transaction. Make sure you use a gas fee that is appropriate for the market condition.
You can check the transaction on etherscan (from Metamask, click "View on explorer"). Give it a little time for the transaction to confirm.
Step 5: Monitor the Progress
Congratulations on successfully making your ETH deposit!
However, please note that your validators are not yet ready for action. There is a waiting period between your deposit and the activation of your validators on the Beacon Chain.
Here are the stages:
Recognition by the Beacon Chain: It can take 12 to 24 hours for your deposit to be recognized by the Beacon Chain.
Joining the activation queue: After recognition, you will join the activation queue. The wait time in the queue can range from a few minutes to several days, depending on the number of validators in the queue. You can check the queue length and waiting times at https://www.validatorqueue.com/
Meanwhile, you can track your validator on the beaconcha.in website. You can click on the "Beaconchain" link from the key list on the Transactions page in the last step.
Alternatively, you can visit the beaconcha.in web site and search for your validator using your validator "pub key". Find your validator "pub key" in the deposit data file or the keystore file, copy it, and input into the search field on beaconcha.in to find your Validator Page.
Key information on your Validator page:
A. Your Validator's Unique Index and Pub Key: These are the identifiers of your validator on the Beacon Chain.
B. Status: Initially, the status will show a flashing green Deposited state. Once your deposit is recognized by the Beacon Chain, the Deposit state will turn solid green. This will be followed by a flashing green Pending state while your validator waits in the activation queue.
C. Text information: Initially, it will inform you that the deposit is waiting to be recognized by the Beacon Chain. Once recognized, it will provide the expected time, and a countdown, for your validator to clear the activation queue.
Click on the Deposits tab (D, or you may see a "wallet" icon before clicking):
E. "Execution Layer": After depositing, this section shows the deposit transaction and the time it was made.
F. "Consensus Layer": In this example, the deposit has been recognized by the Beacon Chain. This section displays the epoch, slot, and time when the deposit was recognized.
G. "Withdrawal Address": In this example, the Withdrawal Address has been set. The text shows a withdrawal credentials that start with
0x01, confirming that the Withdrawal Address has been set. Clicking on the link will take you to the actual Withdrawal Address. If a Withdrawal Address has not been set, the withdrawal credentials will start with0x00.
Once your validator clears the activation queue, the Active status will turn solid green. Your validator will be expected to perform its duties from that point onwards. Make sure your ETH clients are fully synced, and keystore files loaded, before the activation queue countdown reaches zero.
Next Steps
Let's take a moment to revisit The Solo Staker's Journey diagram to understand what you have accomplished so far.
In the key generation step, you have created the deposit data file. You have now uploaded the file to the Staking Launchpad site along with a 32 ETH deposit per validator.
You have also obtained the keystore files(s). Next, you will import the keystore file(s) to your Consensus Client so it is ready to participate in validation seamlessly the moment your validator is active on the Beacon Chain.
If you have also set the Withdrawal Address during the Key Generation process, you also have a destination for your Consensus Layer rewards, and your ETH stake when you finally exit.
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