Introduction
Stake pools run the servers that produce Cardano blocks. When you delegate ada to a pool, your ada counts towards that pool’s stake, which increases its chance to produce blocks. Rewards are distributed per epoch (5 days) to the pool’s delegators according to the protocol rules.
Key facts
- Your ada stays in your wallet and remains spendable. There is no lock-up.
- Registering your stake key requires a refundable deposit of 2 ada (protocol parameter
key_deposit, verified on 2026-11-05 via Koios). - Rewards are not guaranteed and vary with pool performance and fees. This site never promises returns.
- Voting is a separate delegation: you can also delegate your voting power to a DRep, or choose Abstain or No Confidence. See the governance guide.
Your wallet (ada stays here) —delegation certificate→ Stake pool
Stake pool produces blocks —rewards each epoch→ Your reward account
Stake pool produces blocks —rewards each epoch→ Your reward account
Example
Mei delegates 500 ada from her wallet to a community pool run in her region. She keeps using her ada as normal. A few epochs later, rewards start appearing in her wallet’s reward balance.
Common mistakes
Sending ada to a "staking address" from social media. Real delegation never requires sending ada to anyone.
Choosing a pool only by advertised returns. Consider reliability, fees, and decentralisation (supporting smaller independent pools).