How to stake in Polkadot using Polkadot JS
This step by step guide explains how to nominate on Polkadot using Polkadot JS and Polkadot JS Extension.
The same principles described in this guide apply for Kusama and other Substrate networks, but make sure you double-check which network you are performing actions on.
Note that Kusama and Polkadot has different token lockup periods at nominating, that means the time you need to wait for unbond (7 days for Kusama and 28 days for Polkadot).
For aditional security we will also use Lunie Browser Extension to interact with the chain in a secure way.
Before start
You will need:
- Chrome or Brave browser.
- A Polkadot address with some available KSM tokens.
- The address seed phrase.
1. Install Polkadot JS Extension
Open https://bit.ly/3g3HG4Q in your browser and install it.
2. Import your Polkadot address in Polkadot JS Extension
- Open Polkadot JS Extension.
- Click on "Import account with pre-existing seed".
- Enter your seed phrase.
- Add a descriptive name for your account.
- Enter a password for the account and click next.
- Click on "Add the account with the supplied seed".
3. Open Polkadot JS apps
Open https://polkadot.js.org/ in your browser and allow access to the extension.
4. Connect to Polkadot network
Click on "Settings" and Select "Polkadot (Live, hosted by Parity)", then click on "Save & Reload" button.
5. Nominate to PolkaStats
- On left menu, click on "Staking".
- Click on "Account Actions" tab.
- Click on "+ Nominator" button.
- Select your imported account as Stash and Controller.
- Enter the amount you want to bond and click next.
- Disable "Use an automatic selection of the currently most profitable validators".
- Double click on "PolkaStats" to add to Nominated accounts.
- Click on "Bond & Nominate" button.
- Open Polkadot JS Extension, enter the password and click on "Sign the transaction".
6. Wait for your nomination to be active
Your nomination will be inactive until the next session, so please be patient!.