Ethereum PoS has a concept of "voluntary validator exit", which will remove thevalidator from attesting duties. Staked ETH will be withdrawn automaticallyto the withdrawal address, as long as one has been set.
Do not set your withdrawal address to an exchange wallet. The funds will notbe credited, and you will battle support for them.
Exiting a validator requires a fully synced consensus client. Checkpoint sync,configured with RAPID_SYNC_URL in .env, can sync one in minutes.
- Get a list of your keys with
./ethd keys list - Sign an exit message with
./ethd keys sign-exit 0xpubkey
This signed message is valid for the life of your validator; you do not have to use it right away(you could, for example, keep it for your heirs).
As and when you want to submit a voluntary exit you can:
- Submit the JSON file to beaconcha.in
OR - Use
./ethd keys send-exit to send all created exits through your own consensus layer client
You can track the status of your voluntary exit request at https://beaconcha.in/validator/<validator-id>.There are three steps:
- Your validator becomes 'Exited' (5-6 epochs (~35 minutes), assuming no exit queue)
- Your validator exit becomes 'Withdrawable' (256 epochs (~27 hours))
- Your 32 Eth is returned to your withdrawal address (currently a maximum of just under a week, see the 'Withdrawals'tab at
https://beaconcha.in/validator/<validator-id> for the next scheduled withdraw for your validator)
Note you will need to continue running your validator until the exit has been processed by the chain, if you wish toavoid incurring offline penalties. You can check the status of your validator with tools such asbeaconcha.in.
- Place all keys to be exited into
.eth/validator-keys - Run
./ethd keys sign-exit from-keystore, optionally with --offline if you have an offline-preparation.json forethdo
This will sign exit messages with ethdo, which you can then store for your heirs or submit.
This method has the advantage of not requiring the keys to be loaded into a validator client first, and is ideal whenthe validators are being run by a 3rd-party service.
This works when Eth Docker is not the primary way to run the node. For example, for a systemd setup, you couldnano .env, set COMPOSE_FILE=ethdo.yml, and set CL_NODE=http://HOSTIP:5052, adjusting HOSTIP to the IP addressof your node and 5052 to the port REST is available on. Note that for this to work, the REST port needs to bereachable by host IP, not just by localhost. When in doubt, the --offline method will always work.
Teku
Teku will exit all validators that have been imported to it. Run./ethd cmd run --rm validator-exit and follow the prompts.
Prysm
To exit, run ./ethd cmd run --rm validator-exit and follow theprompts.
Lighthouse
The exit procedure for Lighthouse requires a copy of the keystore JSON files.
- Copy the
keystore-m JSON files into .eth/validator_keys/ in this project directory. - Run
./ethd cmd run --rm validator-exit /keys/<name-of-keystore-file>, once for each keystore (validator) you wish to exit. - Follow prompts.
The directory .eth/validator_keys is passed through to docker as /keys. Lighthouseexpects you to explicitly name the keystore-m file for which you wish to process an exit. Because this canbe confusing, here's an example:
yorick@ethlinux:~/eth-pyrmont$ ls .eth/validator_keys/
deposit_data-1605672506.json keystore-m_12381_3600_0_0_0-1605672506.json
yorick@ethlinux:~/eth-pyrmont$ ./ethd cmd run --rm validator-exit /keys/keystore-m_12381_3600_0_0_0-1605672506.json
Starting eth-pyrmont_consensus_1 ... done
Running account manager for pyrmont testnet
validator-dir path: "/keys"
Enter the keystore password for validator in "/keys/keystore-m_12381_3600_0_0_0-1605672506.json"
Nimbus
The exit procedure for Nimbus requires a copy of the keystore JSON files.
- Copy the
keystore-m JSON files into .eth/validator_keys/ in this project directory. - Run
./ethd cmd run --rm validator-exit /keys/<name-of-keystore-file>, once for each keystore (validator) you wish to exit. - Follow prompts.
The directory .eth/validator_keys is passed through to docker as /keys. Nimbusexpects you to explicitly name the keystore-m file for which you wish to process an exit. Because this canbe confusing, here's an example:
ubuntu@eth-testing:~/eth-docker-devel$ ./ethd cmd run --rm validator-exit /keys/keystore-m_12381_3600_0_0_0-1681561909.json
Please enter the password for decrypting '/keys/keystore-m_12381_3600_0_0_0-1681561909.json'
Password:
Lodestar
To exit a specific validator, run ./ethd cmd run --rm validator-exit --pubkeys <0xPUBKEY>.
Multiple validators can be exited by providing a comma-separated list of public keys to pubkeys.
If no pubkeys are provided, it will exit all validators that have been imported.
FAQs
Remove a validator from staking duties. Use the Voluntary Exit command to signal your intentions to permanently stop your duties as a validator. Timeline: Voluntary exiting takes a minimum of 2048 epochs (or ~9days). There is a queue to exit and a delay before your validator is finally exited.
How long does it take to exit a validator? ›
It takes at a minimum 5 epochs (32 minutes) for a validator to exit after initiating a voluntary exit. This number can be much higher depending on how many other validators are queued to exit.
How do you exit your validator? ›
Initiate a voluntary exit
Use the voluntary-exit subcommand to initiate a voluntary exit for specified validators. In the command: Specify the location of the beacon node using the --beacon-node-api-endpoint option. Specify the validators to exit using the --validator-keys option.
How to exit eth2 validator? ›
To exit a specific validator, run ./ethd cmd run --rm validator-exit --pubkeys <0xPUBKEY> . Multiple validators can be exited by providing a comma-separated list of public keys to pubkeys .
Why is my Ethereum withdrawal taking so long? ›
The withdrawal period duration is impacted by several factors, including: The amount of stETH in the queue: The withdrawal fulfilment serves in a FIFO way so the more stETH is locked in the withdrawal request queue, the longer a staker is supposed to wait.
Is it hard to cash out Ethereum? ›
To cash out Ethereum, you can use a cryptocurrency exchange that allows fiat withdrawals. First, transfer your Ethereum to the exchange, sell it for your desired fiat currency, and then withdraw the funds to your bank account.
How long does it take to withdraw an ETH from a validator? ›
If your withdrawal credentials are set to 0x01 and point to a valid Ethereum address, then the partial withdrawal will happen automatically. The timeframe of the withdrawal depends on the size of the active validator set and is currently 8.0 days.
How much does an ETH validator make? ›
How Much Can be Earned Staking ETH? Ethereum staking rewards currently average around 4-7% annually but can fluctuate depending on network activity. Here are some estimates: Staking 32 ETH (1 validator) – ~4-7% SRR = 1.6 – 2.24 ETH per year.
Can you make money running a Solana validator? ›
Validators can also earn additional rewards from the transaction fees users pay when interacting with the Solana network. A portion of these fees is allocated to the validators who process and validate the transactions.
What is the offline penalty for ETH validator? ›
For about 36 days, the validator is removed from the active validation set and is placed in the exit queue. During this period, the validator not only stops earning new rewards but also incurs a penalty of about 8,000 GWei (0,000008 ETH) for every epoch that it misses performing its duties (ie. every 6.4 minutes).
Hardware (Fixed Cost)
One of the highest costs for a validator is hardware - a fixed cost that a validator must pay per month or amortize over a period of time if purchasing hardware off the shelf. One popular offering that ~14% of Solana validators use is Latitude's bare metal offering, which starts at $350/month.
How to exit ETH staking? ›
The exit modal will list all the validators ready to un-stake. Click on the blue Connect Wallet icon in the bottom right of the exit modal, and connect to the ETH address you set as your upgraded withdrawal credentials. Click on the green Exit button at the bottom of the exit modal to un-stake your validators.
Can you Unstake Ethereum now? ›
You can now unstake your staked Ethereum (ETH). This update was announced by the Ethereum Foundation.
What is the maximum ETH validator? ›
A validator's maximum effective balance, or MaxEB, plays a key role in Ethereum's booming validator ecosystem. As the name implies, MaxEB establishes an upper limit for how much ETH each validator can effectively stake to earn rewards. The current MaxEB is 32 ETH.
Is it possible to unstake ETH2 on Coinbase? ›
Unstaking ETH using Coinbase Wallet
Navigate to the DeFi tab or the Ethereum asset detail page. Select the Unstake button. Enter the amount you want to unstake, and confirm the transaction. It usually takes between 1-4 days for an unstake transaction to process.
How long does it take to unstake ETH? ›
Unstaking typically takes 15 days.
Unstaking requests are processed on-chain on the Ethereum network, the current timeline is 15 days which also includes any time needed for Wealthsimple to complete the unstaking process. The timeline is variable, depending on how many others are unstaking on the network.
How long does an ETH withdrawal take? ›
Full withdrawals take longer than partial withdrawals and are a multi-step process: Exit queue (minimally 5 epochs, or 32 mins) Minimum validator withdrawability delay - 256 epochs (27.3 hours) Automatic withdrawal process(2-5 days)
How long does Ethereum finality take? ›
And now, we're ready to define time to finality, which means how long it takes for a transaction to be considered irreversible after it's submitted. On Bitcoin, it takes around an hour (6 blocks created). On Ethereum, it takes around two minutes (12 blocks created). On the Fantom mainnet, it takes only a few seconds.
How long does Ethereum take to settle? ›
Expect To Wait 1 to 5 Minutes To Transfer Ethereum
The average transaction time depends on the number of confirmations needed. An Ethereum network confirmation completes in 16 seconds and depending on the required confirmations, transactions can take between 1 to 5 minutes.
