# Native Staking ### Staking A minimum of **500,000 ARPA** is **required** to become a node. After staking the minimum amount, a node can join the ARPA Network and earn rewards by correctly performing the BLS tasks. Note: This is similar to the ETH PoS model where 32 ether must be staked to run a validator. ### Hardware Requirements Using AWS EC2 as an example, to ensure a steady performance, each node should be hosted on a virtual instance that meets the following specs: #### t2.small (\~$23/month) * **1** vCPU * **2G** Memory * **30G** Storage **IMPORTANT:** During the initial months following the release of ARPA Network on Ethereum mainnet, nodes are [invite-only](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeuldK0Tz1L3t1fhgQ-r0V-SkD-E25vo1YnaX3rTGrkEIPQnw/viewform). This early-access period is designed to facilitate the identification of potential problems and expedite the implementation of any fixes. In this way, we can enhance the security, stability, and performance of the network before transitioning to a fully permissionless system. After the initial period concludes, anyone with a computer that meets the above hardware requirements can host their own node permissionlessly. A [preview of the detailed instruction](https://github.com/ARPA-Network/BLS-TSS-Network/blob/main/docker/mainnet/README.md) for running a node. You will need the following to get a node running if you do not wish to use our deployment scripts (AWS CDK): * [Rust](https://www.rust-lang.org/learn/get-started) * [Docker](https://www.docker.com/get-started/) * [Foundry](https://getfoundry.sh/) * Externally accessible IP and ports * Stable internet connection ### Early Access In the meantime, if you are interested in becoming a node operator during the initial release and providing valuable feedback to help us improve, please [join our waitlist](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeuldK0Tz1L3t1fhgQ-r0V-SkD-E25vo1YnaX3rTGrkEIPQnw/viewform), and our team will reach out to you. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.arpanetwork.io/becoming-a-node-and-get-rewarded/native-staking.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.