TL;DR

• VShard is a non-custodial, decentralized validator pool that operates validator nodes to secure and maintain the Shardeum network.

• To participate, a user needs to own VShard NFTs, which represent ownership of a node validator in the Shardeum network.

• VShard offers easy participation and continuous daily rewards without the need for technical knowledge or significant capital investment.

• VShard does not require users to stake a large amount of SHM or set up a validator node, making it accessible to a wider range of users.

• More VShard NFTs owned equals more ownership in the pool, resulting in a higher share of rewards.

Why all crypto enthusiast can't run validator nodes?

Blockchain technology has opened up opportunities for people to participate in decentralized networks and earn rewards. However, the technical requirements and the need for significant capital investment often limit the participation of individuals in blockchain networks. VShard aims to solve this problem by providing a non-custodial, decentralized validator pool that enables everyone to participate in the consensus process and earn rewards with ease.

What is VShard?

VShard is the first-ever non-custodial, decentralized validator pool that operates validator nodes to secure and maintain the Shardeum network. The Shardeum network is a blockchain-based platform that enables fast and secure transactions with low fees. The VShard validator pool operates nodes that perform consensus on transactions to ensure the security and stability of the Shardeum network.

How Does VShard Work?

To participate in the consensus process, a user needs to own VShard NFTs. The VShard NFT represents ownership of a node validator in the Shardeum network. As the holder of this NFT, the user has a vested interest in the security and stability of the network and can participate in the validation process to earn rewards in SHM (Shardeum's native token).

Why choose VShard over running validator nodes personally?

Staking constraints

To run a validator node, a user needs to stake SHM (not disclosed yet). However, with VShard, there is no need to stake SHM or set up a node. VShard operates validator nodes on behalf of the community, and the community can participate in the consensus process by simply owning VShard NFTs.

Steady passive rewards

Node rotation works by cycling the nodes responsible for validating new blocks in the Shardeum network periodically. With this periodic node rotation, steady daily rewards cannot be achieved by running few nodes. With VShard, as a community, multiple nodes are run simultaneously, ensuring a steady amount of daily rewards for all NFT holders.

What are the Benefits of VShard?

VShard offers several benefits to users who want to participate in the consensus process and earn rewards in the Shardeum network. These benefits include:

Easy Participation

VShard enables anyone to participate in the consensus process without the need for technical knowledge or significant capital investment. By owning VShard NFTs, users can earn rewards without the hassle of staking or setting up a node.

Continuous Daily Rewards

By utilizing the VShard validator pool, multiple nodes are ran simultaneously as a community, ensuring a consistent flow of daily rewards. This is in contrast to Shardeum's node rotation mechanism, which can lead to inconsistent rewards for users who run only a few personal validation nodes.

No Huge Staking

Unlike other blockchain networks that require a significant amount of capital investment to participate, VShard does not require users to stake a large amount of SHM to run a validator node. This makes it accessible to a wider range of users.

No High-End Hardware Configuration

Setting up a validator node requires technical knowledge and hardware requirements. With VShard, users do not need to worry about these requirements as VShard operates nodes on their behalf.

Why Does VShard Have NFTs?

VShard NFTs serve as an identity to distribute rewards to the community. The more NFTs a user owns, the higher their ownership in the entire VShard pool, which translates to a higher share of the rewards. Each NFT is unique and comes with its own rarity factor, with the highest rarity level starting at 100,000,000 and gradually decreasing to 0 by the end of March.

NFTs minted before April 1, 2023, will hold a rarity factor, which gives the holder a chance to earn more rewards. This incentivises early adopters to participate in the network and own VShard NFTs.

The token rarity can be found on Opensea under levels.

Why does VShard use Polygon for its NFT sale?

VShard NFTs are being sold on the Polygon network to raise funds and prepare the infrastructure for running VShard validator nodes on the Shardeum mainnet right from its launch. This choice was made because the Polygon network offers low gas fees, which make it more cost-effective for users to participate in the sale and acquire VShard NFTs.

After the Shardeum mainnet goes live, the existing VShard NFTs will be migrated from the Polygon network to the Shardeum network.

Conclusion

VShard is a non-custodial, decentralized validator pool that enables anyone to participate in the consensus process and earn rewards in the Shardeum network. With VShard, users do not need to stake a large amount of SHM or set up a validator node, making it accessible to a wider range of users. VShard NFTs serve as an identity to distribute rewards to the community, and the more NFTs a user owns, the higher their ownership in the entire VShard pool, which translates to a higher share of the rewards.

Let’s build the community and validate together!