# Validator

*Crypto & Digital Assets — Finicade finance glossary*

A validator is a participant in a proof-of-stake network that proposes and attests to blocks, backed by staked collateral. Misbehaviour — signing conflicting blocks, prolonged downtime — triggers slashing, where part of the stake is destroyed. The number of independent validators and how evenly stake is spread across them is the honest measure of a chain's decentralisation.

**Also known as:** validator node, block producer

**Related terms:** [Proof of Stake](https://finicade.com/glossary/proof-of-stake), [Staking](https://finicade.com/glossary/staking), [Node](https://finicade.com/glossary/node), [Consensus Mechanism](https://finicade.com/glossary/consensus-mechanism), [Ethereum](https://finicade.com/glossary/ethereum)

Source: https://finicade.com/glossary/validator