> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.sqd.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Ways to participate

> Compare workers, delegation, Revenue Pools, and self-hosted Portal participation.

There are four ways to participate in SQD Network. Workers and delegators
supply the network and earn SQD rewards. Revenue Pool participants receive
`plSQD` receipt tokens for SQD deposited into a Portal Pool and may accrue its
listed reward token. Portal operators consume the network, locking SQD for
query capacity rather than rewards. A Portal that serves only your own RPC data
locks nothing.

## How the roles fit together

Portal is the hinge. Workers feed it data, and the other roles commit tokens on
one side or the other. Throughout, solid arrows are the data path and dotted
arrows are token commitments.

### Supply side

Workers and delegators supply the network. Only the operator runs anything: a
delegator backs a node someone else operates.

```mermaid theme={"system"}
flowchart TB
  wop(["Worker operator"]) -->|"bonds SQD<br/>runs hardware"| worker["Worker node"]
  del(["Delegator"]) -.->|"backs a worker"| worker
  worker -->|"serves data"| portal["Portal"]
```

|                       | Run a worker                         | Delegate SQD                      |
| --------------------- | ------------------------------------ | --------------------------------- |
| **You provide**       | Storage, bandwidth, uptime           | Tokens                            |
| **SQD required**      | 100,000 bond                         | No stated minimum                 |
| **Hardware**          | 4 vCPU, 16 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD, 1 Gbit  | None                              |
| **Ongoing effort**    | Keep the node online and updated     | Review worker choice periodically |
| **You get**           | Worker rewards                       | A share of your worker's rewards  |
| **Tokens locked for** | While registered, then about 14 days | About 14 days from delegating     |

### Demand side

Revenue Pools and Portal operators fund query capacity rather than earning
worker rewards.

```mermaid theme={"system"}
flowchart TB
  pp(["Pool participant"]) -.->|"deposits SQD"| pool["Revenue Pool"]
  pool -.->|"stakes for capacity"| portal["Portal"]
  pop(["Portal operator"]) -.->|"locks SQD"| portal
  portal -->|"data"| client(["Client app"])
```

|                       | Join a Revenue Pool                                   | Run a Portal                          |
| --------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| **You provide**       | Tokens                                                | Tokens, your own infrastructure       |
| **SQD required**      | No fixed minimum; pool limits apply                   | 1,000,000 locked to read Network data |
| **Hardware**          | None                                                  | Your own servers and RPC endpoints    |
| **Ongoing effort**    | Choose a pool and monitor its rewards                 | Operate the deployment                |
| **You get**           | A share of the pool's listed rewards                  | Query capacity, not rewards           |
| **Tokens locked for** | Until you exit; withdrawal timing depends on the pool | The lockup period you choose          |

Two of the four roles never operate infrastructure. Delegators and pool
participants commit tokens behind systems other people run, which is why their
returns depend on someone else's performance.

## Run a worker

Workers store a slice of the archival data and answer queries against it. The
node needs a public IP, two open ports, and consistent uptime. A worker that
stops responding is temporarily excluded from new chunk assignments.

You need 100,000 SQD in your wallet or a vesting contract, plus Arbitrum ETH for
gas. One wallet can register several workers if it holds enough tokens.

Registering locks the bond in the smart contract. Deregistering does not release
it right away: withdrawal takes about 14 days (100,000 Ethereum blocks) plus the
time until the end of the current epoch, the same wait delegators face.

<Card title="Run a worker" icon="server" href="/en/network/worker">
  Hardware, ports, registration, updates, and troubleshooting.
</Card>

## Delegate SQD

Delegation needs no hardware and no maintenance. You choose a worker, lock
tokens behind it, and receive a share of what it earns. Your return depends on
that worker's performance, so the choice of worker determines the outcome.

Tokens commit for roughly 14 days plus the remainder of the current epoch, and
cannot be withdrawn during that window.

<Card title="Delegate SQD" icon="coins" href="/en/network/delegate">
  Choose a worker, delegate, and withdraw when the lock expires.
</Card>

## Join a Revenue Pool

Revenue Pools, called **Portal Pools** in the Network App, let you supply SQD to
a Portal operator without running the Portal yourself. The pool locks your SQD
to give the operator query capacity. Portal users pay the operator for data
access; the operator funds the pool's rewards, which participants share.

Choose a pool based on its reward token and displayed rate. When deposits reach
the pool's target, the pool locks the SQD with the Network and becomes active.
You receive `plSQD` as a receipt for your deposit. Rewards then accumulate
automatically; you can claim them or request an exit in the Network App.

If a pool does not reach its target before the deadline, it never activates and
you can withdraw your SQD. After activation, rewards can pause if the reward
balance runs out, the stake falls below the required minimum, or the operator
turns the rate off. Exit requests wait in a queue, so there is no fixed
withdrawal time. Returns are not guaranteed; check the pool's current status and
terms before joining.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Revenue Pools" icon="chart-pie" href="https://network.sqd.dev/dashboard/portal-pools">
    Compare current pools, review their terms, and manage deposits and exits.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Contract addresses" icon="file-code" href="/en/other/contracts#portal-pool-system-arbitrum-one">
    Factory, registry, beacon, implementation, and live pool addresses.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Run a Portal

Portal is the query interface. Running your own removes the dependency on an
SQD-hosted endpoint.

Whether you need tokens depends on the topology. A Portal that reads finalized
history from SQD Network locks at least 1,000,000 SQD, and also needs Arbitrum
and Ethereum L1 RPC endpoints plus a registered peer ID. That locked SQD becomes
per-epoch compute units, and requests are throttled if queries consume them
faster than they regenerate.

A real-time-only Portal serves recent blocks from your own RPC through
HotblocksDB. It never reads from SQD Network, so it locks no SQD and none of the
token requirements apply.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Self-hosting guide" icon="terminal" href="/en/portal/self-hosting">
    Requirements, topology, configuration, and compute-unit sizing.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Hosted or self-hosted" icon="link" href="/en/portal/self-hosting/accessing-portal">
    Decide whether you need your own instance.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Note>
  Querying data needs none of this. The SQD-hosted endpoints require no tokens
  and no setup, with a free tier for development. See the [Portal
  overview](/en/portal/overview) to get started and
  [Pricing](/en/portal/pricing) for plan details.
</Note>

## Before you commit

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Get SQD" icon="wallet" href="/en/network/procuring-sqd">
    Where the token trades and how to bridge it to Arbitrum.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Network App" icon="chart-column" href="/en/network/network-app">
    Current worker and delegator APR.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Tokenomics" icon="coins" href="/en/network/tokenomics">
    Token utility, supply, and distribution.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Whitepaper" icon="book-open" href="/en/network/whitepaper">
    The reward formulas behind both earning roles.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>


## Related topics

- [SQD Network](/en/network/overview.md)
- [Delegate](/en/network/delegate.md)
- [FAQ](/en/other/faq.md)
- [SQD Portal](/en/portal/overview.md)
- [Private Portal setup](/en/portal/self-hosting.md)