# Solana Number of validators Methodology

## 1. Overview

Number of validators measures the number of active nodes that produce blocks and secure the network. It reflects the degree of decentralization and resilience of the blockchain. On Solana, this metric is derived from the number of unique validator accounts that receive voting rewards for participating in the consensus process and maintaining network security.

## 2. Data sources

- **Blockchain events**: `voting` rewards from the `rewards` system table on Solana
- **External data**: Asset metadata for decimal normalization

## 3. Step-by-step calculation

### Component A: Validator identification

- **Purpose**: Identify unique validator accounts participating in network consensus
- **Logic**: Reward records are filtered to isolate participants categorized as `voting` validators. Each participant is identified by a unique validator account (public key) that receives these system-generated distributions for successful block production and voting activity.
- **Key fields**: `pubkey` (validator identification), `reward_type` (classification)

### Component B: Active validator filtering

- **Purpose**: Exclude inactive or "ghost" accounts to ensure an accurate count of active nodes
- **Logic**: A conditional filter is applied based on the timing of the reward distribution. For data recorded prior to December 4, 2024, validator accounts are only included if the reward amount is greater than zero lamports. This logic is used to filter out accounts that are registered but not actively earning rewards. For all data from December 4, 2024 onwards, all accounts receiving `voting` rewards are included in the count.
- **Key fields**: `block_timestamp` (timing), `lamports` (reward quantity)

### Component C: Daily aggregation and data continuity

- **Purpose**: Consolidate validator activity into a daily time series with consistent data availability
- **Logic**: The number of unique validator accounts is counted and grouped by UTC day. Because reward distributions on Solana are tied to epoch boundaries which may span multiple days, a fill-forward strategy is employed. This ensures that the validator count remains representative of the network state during intervals between reward distribution events.
- **Key fields**: `number_of_validators` (distinct count of accounts), `timestamp` (daily granularity)

*This methodology was automatically generated by Token Terminal's methodology analyzer.*

Number of active validators securing the network.

Number of validators

Solana

Validators process transactions and receive fees from users (supply-side fees).

Solana is a smart contract platform for decentralized applications (a blockchain). Solana was founded by Anatoly Yakovenko, Greg Fitzgerald, Raj Gokal, etc. and launched in 2020.

SOL holders own and govern the protocol. They currently take a cut of the transaction fees paid by users (revenue). Solana’s investors include Polychain Capital, ParaFi capital, Passport capital, etc.

SolanaSOL

Number of validators

Number of validators

Competitive landscape