Documentation
Everything you need to know about the Bittensor Validators Dashboard
Overview
The Bittensor Validators Dashboard provides real-time performance tracking and analytics for validators on the Bittensor network. Our platform is designed to help TAO holders make informed decisions about their staking strategy.
We aggregate critical validator data including APY, stake amounts, yield performance, and fees (commission rates) across all subnets in the Bittensor ecosystem. The dashboard updates in real-time, providing the most current performance metrics for efficient decision-making.
Whether you're a validator operator seeking to monitor your performance, or a TAO holder looking to identify the most profitable validators for staking, our dashboard offers the comprehensive insights you need.
Mission Statement
Our mission is to increase transparency and accessibility in the Bittensor ecosystem by providing:
- Accurate, real-time validator performance data
- Easy-to-understand analytics across all subnets
- A comprehensive view of validator fees and returns
- Tools to identify optimal staking opportunities
Key Features
Real-time Dashboard
Live tracking of key network metrics including TAO price, staked supply percentage, average APY, and the number of active validators across the network.
Validator Tables
Comprehensive validator data organized in sortable tables. View APY, stake amounts, yield trends, and validator fees all in one place with intuitive visualization.
Advanced Filtering
Filter validators by subnet, time period, minimum stake amount, or search for specific validators by name or address to quickly find what you're looking for.
Fee Transparency
Clear visibility of validator fees (commissions) with color-coding: green for 0% fees, orange for 1-9% fees, and red for 10%+ fees, helping you identify the most cost-effective validators.
Multi-Subnet Support
Comprehensive data across all Bittensor subnets with the ability to focus on specific subnets for more detailed analysis of validators in different parts of the network.
Performance Trends
Visual trend indicators and sparkline charts to track validator performance over time, helping you identify consistent performers versus volatile validators.
How to Use the Dashboard
Using Filters
- Subnet Filter: Use this dropdown to view validators from a specific subnet or all subnets together. Subnet 0 represents the root subnet.
- Time Period Filter: Select between 1 Hour, 24 Hours, 7 Days, or 30 Days to view performance metrics over different timeframes.
- Minimum Stake Filter: Filter out validators that don't meet your minimum stake requirements, ranging from 10K to 1M TAO.
- Search: Quickly find specific validators by entering their name or blockchain address in the search field.
Sorting and Analyzing
The validators table allows sorting by several metrics:
- APY: Sort by Annual Percentage Yield to find the highest or lowest performing validators.
- Stake: Sort by the amount of TAO staked with each validator.
- Yield: Sort by the actual TAO yield generated over the selected time period.
Click on any column header to sort by that metric. Click again to reverse the sort order.
When analyzing validators, consider these factors:
- Fee Rates: Lower fees mean more of the rewards go to you as a delegator.
- Stake Amount: Higher stake often indicates trust from the community.
- Consistency: Look for validators with stable performance across different time periods.
- Verification Badge: Verified validators have undergone additional identity verification.
Understanding the Data
APY (Annual Percentage Yield)
APY represents the projected annual rate of return for staking with a validator. Since the dTao update (February 2025), this metric has become dynamic and variable, depending on multiple factors including the validator's performance, the market value of the subnet's alpha token, and the validator's delegate fee.
Validator Fees
Validator fees (also called commission or delegate take) represent the percentage of rewards that validators keep for themselves. With the dTao update, these fees are now applied directly in the subnet's alpha token before distribution to delegators. For example, if a validator earns 100α with a 20% fee, they keep 20α and distribute 80α among delegators.
- Green (0%) - No fees, all alpha rewards go to delegators
- Orange (1-9%) - Low to moderate fees
- Red (10%+) - High fees
Stake and Yield
Stake represents the total amount of TAO tokens delegated to a validator to earn rewards. Higher stake typically indicates greater trust from the community.
Yield following the dTao update, shows the amount of subnet-specific alpha tokens (α) generated as rewards over the selected time period, before being converted to TAO. Only Subnet 0 still yields TAO directly; all other subnets yield their unique alpha token, which must be converted to TAO through the subnet's AMM (Automated Market Maker).
Trends and Sparklines
The trend column displays a sparkline chart showing the validator's performance over the selected time period. With the dTao update, trends now incorporate multiple factors, including:
- Alpha token emission rates and value changes
- Subnet performance and demand fluctuations
- The AMM exchange rate between alpha and TAO
- Volatility in performance due to subnet activity
Glossary of Terms
- TAO
- The native token of the Bittensor network, used for staking and rewards. Since the dTao update, TAO remains the main staking token, but rewards are now paid in subnet-specific alpha tokens (except for subnet 0).
- Validator
- A node on the Bittensor network that validates transactions and hosts machine learning models. Validators compete for rewards based on their performance.
- Stake
- TAO tokens delegated to a validator to earn rewards. Higher stake usually results in higher total rewards, but since dTao, performance and subnet demand also significantly impact rewards.
- APY (Annual Percentage Yield)
- The projected annual return on investment. Since dTao, APY is more volatile and depends on multiple factors including alpha token price, validator performance, and subnet activity.
- Subnet
- A specialized network within Bittensor focused on specific use cases or applications. Subnet 0 is the root subnet which still pays rewards in TAO directly, while other subnets each have their own alpha token for rewards.
- Alpha Token
- A subnet-specific reward token introduced by the dTao update. Each subnet (except subnet 0) has its own alpha token (e.g., Alpha, Beta, Gamma) used to distribute rewards to validators and delegators.
- Fee/Commission
- The percentage of rewards that validators keep for themselves before distributing the remainder to delegators. With dTao, these fees are applied directly on the alpha tokens before distribution.
- Yield
- The actual amount of rewards generated over a specific time period. Since dTao, yield for most subnets is first in alpha tokens, which must then be converted to TAO.
- Delegate
- To assign your TAO tokens to a validator to earn a share of their rewards, which after dTao are primarily in subnet-specific alpha tokens.
- AMM (Automated Market Maker)
- Decentralized pricing mechanism introduced with dTao that determines the exchange rate between a subnet's alpha token and TAO. Each subnet has its own AMM pool.
- TAO Weight
- A multiplier for TAO stake on subnet 0 (currently 18%) that influences subnet weight in the network.
- Subnet Performance
- A measure of a subnet's activity and demand. Higher demand leads to higher alpha token price, resulting in better APY for validators in that subnet.
Frequently Asked Questions
The dashboard data is updated in real-time, with new information being pulled from the blockchain and API sources every few minutes. You can manually refresh the data at any time by clicking the refresh button in the top-right corner of the validators table.
Validator fees (or commission rates) are set by the validators themselves. This is the percentage of rewards that validators keep before distributing the remainder to delegators. For example, a validator with a 10% fee will keep 10% of all rewards generated and distribute the remaining 90% to delegators proportionally based on their stake.
Choosing the best validator depends on your personal goals and risk tolerance. Since the dTao update, consider these expanded factors:
- Fee rate: Lower fees mean more alpha rewards for you
- Performance (APY): Higher APY indicates better returns, but is now more volatile
- Subnet performance: High-performing subnets often provide better alpha token value
- Consistency: Look for validators with stable performance across different time periods
- Subnet activity: More active subnets typically have better alpha/TAO exchange rates
It's even more important now to diversify your stake across multiple validators and subnets to minimize risk.
The time period filter (1 Hour, 24 Hours, 7 Days, 30 Days) adjusts the performance metrics to show data from the selected timeframe:
- APY: Recalculated based on performance during the selected period, including alpha token value fluctuations
- Yield: Shows the alpha tokens earned and their equivalent TAO value at current exchange rates
- Trend: Updates the sparkline to show performance trends over the selected period
Comparing different time periods is even more important with dTao, as it helps identify validators with consistent performance amid alpha token price volatility.
With the dTao update in February 2025, the Bittensor network introduced subnet-specific alpha tokens to improve the economic model. This change offers several benefits:
- Each subnet can have its own economic dynamics and incentives
- Subnet performance directly affects reward value, creating better alignment
- The AMM model provides natural price discovery for subnet value
- Only subnet 0 (the root subnet) continues to pay rewards directly in TAO
This new model allows high-performing subnets to naturally attract more stake by increasing the value of their alpha token, creating a more efficient market mechanism.
Since the dTao update, APY has become more volatile as it depends on multiple dynamic factors:
- The validator's share of alpha emissions (based on stake + trust score)
- The current market price of the subnet's alpha token
- The validator's delegate fee percentage
- The overall performance and demand for the subnet
Unlike before, there is no fixed formula for APY. It's now better to view APY as a volatile estimate rather than a guaranteed yield, similar to how yields work in DeFi protocols.
An alpha token is a subnet-specific reward token introduced by the dTao update. Each subnet (except subnet 0) has its own unique alpha token with these characteristics:
- Earned by validators and delegators in that specific subnet
- Value is determined by an AMM (Automated Market Maker) pool within the subnet
- Must be converted to TAO through the subnet's AMM when unstaking or claiming rewards
- Price fluctuates based on subnet activity, performance, and demand
For example, Subnet 1 might have an "Alpha" token, Subnet 2 a "Beta" token, and so on. Think of these as specialized tokens that represent contribution to a specific subnet's work.
The unstaking process has changed with the dTao update:
- When you initiate unstaking, your earned alpha tokens are automatically sent to the subnet's AMM for conversion
- The AMM swaps your alpha tokens for TAO at the current exchange rate
- You receive the TAO equivalent of your alpha tokens, plus your original staked TAO
- Some slippage may occur during the swap, especially for large amounts
For Subnet 0, this process remains unchanged as rewards are still paid directly in TAO.
We welcome partnerships with validators, technology providers, exchanges, and other projects in the Bittensor ecosystem. Partners gain visibility and access to our growing community of TAO stakeholders.
Visit our Partners page to learn more about partnership benefits and to submit an application.
Need Additional Help?
If you have questions not covered in this documentation, please reach out to our support team.
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