What Is Epoch in Solana?
An epoch is a period of 432,000 slots (approximately 2-3 days) that defines the rotation cycle for leader schedules and staking rewards distribution.
What happens each epoch
- Leader schedule rotates. A new leader schedule is generated for the upcoming epoch, determining which validator produces blocks in each slot.
- Staking rewards are distributed. Validators and their delegators receive inflation rewards based on their stake and performance during the epoch.
- Stake activations and deactivations take effect. Stake delegated during the previous epoch becomes active. Deactivated stake becomes withdrawable.
Epoch timing
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Slots per epoch | 432,000 |
| Approximate duration | 2-3 days |
| Slot duration | ~400ms |
The exact duration varies because slots can be skipped or take slightly more or less than 400ms.
Querying epoch data
Use getEpochInfo to get the current epoch number, slot index within the epoch, and the number of slots remaining.
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