# Overview

Staking on Opera involves locking up a certain amount of FTM (Opera's native token) to support the network's operations, such as block production and validation. In return, users receive rewards in the form of additional FTM. This process helps secure the network and maintain its integrity.

Validators are required to stake at least 50,000 FTM to validate transactions and produce blocks to earn rewards. However, users can delegate any amount from 1 FTM to existing validators to earn rewards without needing the technical knowledge to operate a validator.

Opera uses a **fluid staking model**. Users can either stake without a lock-up period for the minimum annual percentage rate (APR) or select a lock-up period between 14 and 365 days for an increased APR. This model combines long-term sustainability for the network with flexibility for stakes.

## Rewards

In the fluid staking model, your effective APR:

* Increases proportionally with your lock-up period
* Decreases proportionally with the average lock-up period of all stakers
* Decreases proportionally with the total amount of FTM staked by all stakers

To get an estimate for potential rewards, please use our [rewards calculator](https://fantom.foundation/ftm-staking/).

## Staking on Opera

There are two ways to participate in staking on Opera:

* [Run a validator node](https://docs.fantom.foundation/run-a-node/overview)
* [Delegate to an existing validator node](https://docs.fantom.foundation/staking/stake-ftm)

<table><thead><tr><th>Comparison</th><th width="257.3333333333333" align="center">Delegation</th><th align="center">Validator Node</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Passive</td><td align="center"><span data-gb-custom-inline data-tag="emoji" data-code="2705">✅</span></td><td align="center"><span data-gb-custom-inline data-tag="emoji" data-code="274c">❌</span></td></tr><tr><td>Minimum requirements</td><td align="center">1 FTM</td><td align="center">50,000 FTM</td></tr><tr><td>Needed expertize</td><td align="center">None</td><td align="center">Technical</td></tr><tr><td>Rewards</td><td align="center">Staking rewards minus a 15% fee paid to delegated validator</td><td align="center">Staking rewards plus a 15% fee from delegators' rewards</td></tr></tbody></table>

{% hint style="info" %}
Running a validator node earns more rewards but requires active management, operational costs, and technical knowledge.
{% endhint %}


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