FAQ

Waterfall is a highly-scalable smart contract platform for the development of various decentralized applications (dApps). The distributed protocol is based on DAG (Directed Acyclic Graphs) technology, with fast finality Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus. You can find more info here.

A Waterfall Node is a computer or mobile device connected to the Waterfall Network via the internet that provides hardware infrastructure. Each Node deploys a certain number of Validators.

A Validator participates in the consensus protocol and is responsible for storing data, processing transactions, and adding new blocks to the ledger. Whenever the Node is running the Validator earns rewards.

Each Validator consists of two components: a Coordinator and a Verifier.

The Сoordinator handles blocks of the network ledger and earns rewards by minting new $WATER coins. The Verifier creates blocks and earns rewards from transaction fees.

You will need 32,000 $WATER coins to begin running a Node – each Validator requires 32,000 $WATER coins to get started. Check out $WATER on Gate.io.

There are 3 ways to set up and run a Node:

1. Set up a Node on Your Own Computer: Follow our instructions on how to run a Node in Docker: Setup Docker Node (Mainnet).


2. Leverage Cloud Hosting Providers: Ensure 24/7 uptime and a reliable connection by using popular cloud hosting services. Follow our instructions here: Cloud Hosting Instructions.


3. Work with a Staking Infrastructure Provider: We’ve partnered with multiple staking infrastructure providers worldwide, each offering unique terms and conditions.
   
   Find your match here: Staking Infrastructure Providers.

Yes, you can deploy your server to cloud services like AWS, DigitalOcean, Hetzner, etc.

No, in such a case your Validator will incur penalties. However, you can deploy your Node to an infrastructure provider to ensure it is operational 24/7, helping your Validator to avoid penalties.

If the server is not working for any reason, a penalty is imposed on the Validator. You can temporarily turn off the Validator and withdraw your $WATER. After the server is up and running again, you can re-stake your $WATER.

The value in relation to fines will vary depending on the number of Validators (reward per day).

No, you will only get rewards if you become a Validator.

You can find your rewards statistics here.

Follow this link to view the full requirements.

You can use any Ethereum-compatible wallet, such as MetaMask. Here is the configuration.

You can run a maximum of 256 Validators per a single Node. Follow this link with requirements.

No, Waterfall is not a blockchain.

Waterfall is a highly scalable and decentralized BlockDAG EVM-compatible Layer 1 protocol.

You can review the full list of benefits here.

Waterfall is a Proof-of-Stake platform.

Follow this link to review our documentation.

BlockDAG enables high performance and scalability, thanks to parallel block production. BlockDAG is comparable to the most highly scalable protocols currently available, with the potential to substantially outperform them.

You can find the documentation here.

Low transaction fees are a key feature of the Waterfall Network. Read about Waterfall’s economics here.

The topic of light nodes on mobile devices is under discussion, and is still in the research phase.

Yes, it’s in our roadmap

$WATER coins can be staked to secure the network and earn rewards. $WATER can be used for transaction fees and utilized within dApps and smart contracts.

The platform scales through the use of subnetworks for parallel processing and a DAG-based block ledger structure, enabling simultaneous block publication within each shard. Waterfall features a new fast finality PoS consensus protocol that supports millions of validators, ensuring quick and secure transaction confirmation. The Waterfall team is currently working on virtually unlimited sharding, allowing the network to scale horizontally by dividing it into smaller shards that process transactions independently.