Module reference · Economics & settlement
x/delegation — Delegation
The full delegation lifecycle for token holders and staking partners.
What it does
Inside x/delegation
The delegation module manages how token holders place stake with validators without running infrastructure themselves: delegating, redelegating between validators, unbonding, and collecting the delegator share of rewards net of validator commission.
Delegation grants voting weight, not custody — tokens remain the delegator's throughout. The module gives staking-as-a-service partners a complete on-chain lifecycle to build client offerings on.
Why it exists
The design rationale
Most token holders will never run a validator, but the network still needs their stake bonded for security. A first-class delegation lifecycle turns passive holders into security contributors — and spreads stake across more validators, strengthening the Nakamoto coefficient.
Interactions
How it connects to the rest of the chain
No module stands alone — these are the protocol surfaces this module depends on or serves.
Key concepts
Terms that matter here
- Delegation
- Bonding your tokens to a validator's stake in exchange for a share of its rewards.
- Commission
- The validator's percentage cut of rewards before the delegator share is distributed.
- Redelegation
- Moving bonded stake between validators without a full unbonding cycle.
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