# Register and stake (https://docs.axelar.dev/infrastructure/validators/setup/register-and-stake)



## Register your broadcaster [#register-your-broadcaster]

Axelar validators exchange messages with one another via the Axelar blockchain. Each validator sends these messages from a separate `broadcaster` account.

<Callout type="warning" emoji="⚠️">
  Caution: A validator can only register one `broadcaster` address throughout
  its lifetime. This `broadcaster` address cannot be changed after it has been
  registered. If you need to register a different proxy address then you must
  also create an entirely new validator.
</Callout>

### Learn your broadcaster account address [#learn-your-broadcaster-account-address]

```bash
$AXELARD_HOME/bin/axelard keys show broadcaster -a --home $AXELARD_HOME
```

Let `{BROADCASTER_ADDR}` denote your `broadcaster` address

### Fund your validator and broadcaster accounts [#fund-your-validator-and-broadcaster-accounts]

**Testnets:**
Go to the Axelar testnet faucet and send some free AXL testnet tokens to both `{BROADCASTER_ADDR}` and `{VALIDATOR_ADDR}`:

* [Testnet Faucet](https://faucet.testnet.axelar.dev/).

### Register your broadcaster account [#register-your-broadcaster-account]

```bash
$AXELARD_HOME/bin/axelard tx snapshot register-proxy {BROADCASTER_ADDR} --from validator --chain-id $AXELARD_CHAIN_ID --home $AXELARD_HOME --gas auto --gas-adjustment 1.4
```

### Optional: check your broadcaster registration [#optional-check-your-broadcaster-registration]

```bash
$AXELARD_HOME/bin/axelard q snapshot proxy {VALOPER_ADDR}
```

## Stake AXL [#stake-axl]

Choose an amount `{STAKE_AMOUNT}` of AXL tokens you wish to stake. `{STAKE_AMOUNT}` is denominated in `uaxl` where `1 AXL = 1000000 uaxl`.

* You need at least 1 AXL to participate in consensus on the Axelar network
* You need enough stake to get into the "active set" (75 validators as of August 2023): if the validators in the active set have more stake than you, then you cannot participate in consensus.
* Optional: you need at least 2% of total bonded stake to participate in multi-party cryptography protocols with other validators.

Choose a moniker `{MY_MONIKER}` for your validator. There are many other parameters you may choose for your validator. For simplicity these instructions specify default values for all other parameters.

Make your `validator` account into an Axelar validator by staking AXL tokens:

```bash
$AXELARD_HOME/bin/axelard tx staking create-validator --amount {STAKE_AMOUNT}uaxl --moniker "{MY_MONIKER}" --commission-rate="0.10" --commission-max-rate="0.20" --commission-max-change-rate="0.01" --min-self-delegation="1" --pubkey="$(axelard tendermint show-validator)" --from validator
```

### Optional: Learn your valoper address [#optional-learn-your-valoper-address]

Learn the `{VALOPER_ADDR}` address associated with your `validator` account

```bash
$AXELARD_HOME/bin/axelard keys show validator -a --bech val --home $AXELARD_HOME
```

### Optional: check the stake amount delegated to your validator [#optional-check-the-stake-amount-delegated-to-your-validator]

```bash
$AXELARD_HOME/bin/axelard q staking validator {VALOPER_ADDR} | grep tokens
```

### Optional: delegate additional stake to your validator [#optional-delegate-additional-stake-to-your-validator]

```bash
$AXELARD_HOME/bin/axelard tx staking delegate {VALOPER_ADDR} {STAKE_AMOUNT}uaxl --from validator
```

## Check your validator [#check-your-validator]

Run a [health check](https://docs.axelar.dev/llms.mdx/infrastructure/validators/operations/health-check/content.md) to confirm that `tofnd`, your broadcaster and your validator are all in good standing.


---

All pages of these docs, as Markdown: https://docs.axelar.dev/llms.txt