Delegation Basics Walkthrough

Overview

Delegation on Solana involves several distinct on-chain states that are easy to confuse. This walkthrough maps each state to what you will see in a wallet interface and a block explorer.

Topics covered

• Creating a stake account versus transferring to an existing one
• The difference between delegated stake and active stake
• Warmup epochs and when rewards begin accruing
• Cooldown periods when you decide to undelegate
• Reading the “stake authority” and “withdraw authority” fields

Ideal for

Readers who have read about delegation but want confirmation that they understand the sequence before taking action.