# IOTA

The IOTA ecosystem enables programmability in both Layer 1 and Layer 2 using Move and EVM/Solidity smart contracts respectively.

The IOTA Mainnet is the L1 "production" network of IOTA. The IOTA Mainnet's tokens have a real-world value, so we recommend that you use the IOTA Testnet or Devnet to develop your application.

IOTA uses a delegated proof-of-stake (DPoS) consensus mechanism to validate on-chain transaction blocks. Validators must secure a certain amount of IOTA tokens to participate in the network, where they actively run the Mysticeti protocol to finalize transactions. This approach incentivizes honest behavior, enhances security, and ensures an efficient and scalable blockchain while avoiding the high energy demands of Proof-of-Work (PoW) systems, which rely on computationally intensive mining.<br>

You can find the link to the block explorer below:

{% embed url="<https://explorer.evm.iota.org/>" %}

* [Staking Guide](#staking-guide)
* [Validator Address](#validator-address)
* [Staking Mechanics](#staking-mechanics)

### Staking Guide

{% embed url="<https://youtu.be/3BPiCT0RZ1c?si=qaYtg27jqf0bBU2->" %}

### Validator Address

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Mainnet" %}

<table><thead><tr><th width="193.61328125">Type</th><th>Address</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Validator address</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>
{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

### Staking Mechanics

<table><thead><tr><th width="215">Metrics</th><th>Details</th><th data-hidden>Details</th><th data-hidden></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Reward Frequency</td><td>End of each epoch</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Auto-compounding</td><td>Yes</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Penalty</td><td>Validators that receive a low score can be penalized with slashed stake rewards</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Slashing</td><td>The validator set actively monitor's itself and if a validator is clearly non-performant, then the other validators score that validator with a 0 and slash its rewards.</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Stake Lockup</td><td>No lockup</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Unbonding Period</td><td>No unbonding period</td><td></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>