While the Bitcoin network is secured by mining, many newer cryptocurrencies use an alternative consensus mechanism known as proof of stake (PoS). This involves users staking their cryptocurrency—pledging their crypto assets to the network to help the blockchain validate transactions. But staking isn’t just an altruistic act to benefit the network. In exchange for staking, you get rewards, often in the form of the cryptocurrency you have staked. Here we explain how you can get started as a crypto staker. What is staking? Blockchains are basically databases of transactions with no central authority to maintain them. To ... (full story)