Please note: Due to a change made in December 2023 to improve network performance and allow the development team to work on a number of essential upgrades, the way block credits are paid has changed from a block by block credit to a credit every 1000 blocks.

While the 7200 blocks minted necessary to reach level 1 hasn't changed, the method of crediting minted blocks and QORT HAS, which means, depending on when the sponsorship key was added to a node, and the number of blocks that have actually gone by, the amount of blocks that will actually be required may vary from 8000 to 9000.

Therefore it is essential to wait until Level 1 is shown, and not rely only on blocks minted.

In order to become a minter on the Qortal Network, a user will need to be 'sponsored' by a founder or level 5+ minting account (if you did not purchase a QORTector device before launch of Genesis or are not a QORA Forger you’ll require a sponsor).

This process will take place by the sponsor issuing a 'reward share' transaction to the newcomer (sponsee) that wishes to become a minter. This process will take place via the Qortal UI. The explanation of the process is to show what is happening on the back end. It isn't necessary for the users to fully understand it as the UI will make it very straightforward.

As the required number of blocks go by, the people in 'reward share' situations are checked for 'online status' where they issue a timestamp that is verified by other members on the network in 5 min intervals.

All users in the reward shares will be counted as online. Initially, the newly sponsored account will be a level 0, with a reward share key provided by a sponsor. The sponsor's reward share key is added to the sponsee's node and will process the first approx 7200 (currently 9000 in effect) 'online blocks' without any block reward in order to become level 1.

Please note: Sponsors do not earn anything for sponsoring others. Sponsors do not earn additional block rewards nor additional blocks minted count. The sponsee does not earn any block reward during the level 0 period of minting to reach level 1. This is simply the time for the sponsee to prove oneself to the network and become a level 1 minter. The blocks minted during sponsorship are credited to the sponsee permanently in the ‘Total Blocks Minted’ record.

Once a user has ran a node for 7200 blocks and the account becomes Level 1, the user can then generate his/her own reward share at which point they are enabled (officially a minter on the network) and are able to obtain their shared portion of the block reward (refer to Block Rewards & Distribution to learn more about the rewards system).

It is highly encouraged to study the content on the wiki prior to seeking sponsorship. We often see people requesting sponsorship without having done any research and it’s important to note:

• Minting is not about ‘mining’ another cryptocurrency, it is about supporting the network and infrastructure
• Minting removes the unfair PoW and PoS type systems where money equals power over the network; you cannot buy your way into Qortal
• Minting rewards every online minter each block, rather than only the block signer
• QORT is used to power on-chain functionality with transactions and can also be used as a digital form of payment within the Qortal Network
• We are sovereign-driven, not money-driven
• We look forward to adding more minters to the network, we simply would appreciate minters who truly value what we are aiming for with individual sovereignty
• Everyone should feel an obligation to be the messenger who passes the message onto the next messenger; together we are the chain and revolutionary movement to regain control over our digital lives unhindered
• Be sure to study the Qortal 101 page and links within to other parts of the wiki
• To become sponsored, simply engage the community, study the available content, value what we are building, and try to contribute if and when you can! We are eagerly working to sponsor newcomers and look forward to further growing the network of minters as that means greater decentralization and network stability!

In order to become a Minter, you must first become 'sponsored' as described above. First, you will need to have your node setup with the Qortal core and UI installed and fully synced. Remember, the core must always be running while the UI only needs to be open when you want to use it. Next, you'll need to setup an account. Refer to Account Setup & Recovery wiki page on how to do this.

To be sponsored, you'll need to speak with the community and find a level 5+ person willing to sponsor. The best way to do this is to introduce yourself and become active in Q-Chat, Telegram or Discord. See Community Run Services and Social Media pages wiki page for the links.

The level 5+ sponsor goes to 'Reward share' in the Qortal UI and issues a 0% reward share transaction with the recipient's Public Key (PUBLIC KEY not address)! You can find this with the gear icon in the top right corner of the UI screen.

Now… THERE ARE 2 WAYS that a sponsorship relationship can work…

1. The sponsor runs the sponsorship timeframe FOR the sponsee (this is not the recommended method as the newcomer should be proving their node to the network). In this case the sponsor would apply the key to his/her node, and run it until the point the sponsee becomes level 1 and can create their own key, and assign it to 'Node management'.

2. The sponsee runs the sponsorship timeframe (this is the most common method). In this case the sponsor will give the key to the sponsee. Then the sponsee assigns the sponsor’s reward share key to their node and runs for the sponsorship timeframe. You have to be online for the blocks credits, so if you turn off your node, you will NOT get credit for blocks passed while your node was offline. The whole point of minting is to be ONLINE. The sponsee adds this Reward Share Key to Node Management by selecting ‘Add Minting Account’. You will then see a confirmation of ‘Minting Account Added Successfully’. Here is a walkthrough video: https://youtu.be/L3WFYg55foA

Here is a walkthrough with screenshots of the new minting plugin, followed by the original process before we had the new plugin:

1. Click on the gear icon in the top right corner of the UI. Copy your public key (not your address) and send it to your sponsor:

2. Copy the reward share key (minting key) your sponsor sent you. Click on the 'MINTING' tab on the left side of the UI:

3. Paste the reward share key in the field:

4. You will see a confirmation that the key has been added successfully:

5. If you click on the 'MANAGEMENT' tab on the left of the UI, you can select 'NODE MANAGEMENT' confirm your key is listed within (also note your blocks minted count will increase in the upper left corner of the UI):

6. After reaching level 1 proceed with the 'Assigning Your Own Reward Share Key' section. Note that you will NOT be earning block rewards until AFTER you complete that process.

Please note: the above video is the old process for becoming a minter. If you completed the process as explained above, you do NOT need to complete the process in this section. This process is still able to be done, although the new plugin as previously explained makes the process a little easier. It's worth sharing how the old process works for educational purposes at the least! (You can skip this section.)

1. After receiving the reward share key from your sposnor, you would go to 'NODE MANAGEMENT' in the UI and click on 'Add Minting Account' in the top right corner:

2. Paste the minting key in the 'Rewardshare key' field in the popup window, then click 'ADD':

3. It will then display 'Minting Node Added Successfully!' after a moment. Then you can click 'CLOSE':

Once you reach level 1 you can simply click the 'START MINTING' button in the Overview tab.

Clicking his button automatically generates your new key and adds it to Node Management:

You should then see that you're minting next to the block height in bottom left of UI (in Sidebar menu), and also in the Overview Page.

This is the manual process for creating a minting key for yourself - the process further down the page is the older version and is still possible with '+ CREATE REWARDSHARE'. This section describes the most simple way to manually create/generate your minting key if for some reason the 'Start Minting' button is not available.

1. Open a new tab and select Reward Share.

2. Click '+ OWN REWARDSHARE' at top right:

3. Click 'ADD':

4. Copy the Rewardshare/Minting key that comes up:

5. Click 'CONFIRM' and wait. A message saying “Reward Share Successful!” will be displayed.

6. Open a new tab, go to Node Management.

7. Click 'ADD MINTING ACCOUNT':

8. Paste the key you copied in step 4 into the field in the pop-up window:

9. Click 'ADD'. It will then display 'Minting Account Added Successfully!' after a moment. Then you can click 'CLOSE'

10. When this is confirmed on the chain you will see that you are minting by -

  a) (Minting) next to Block Height in Sidebar Menu.
  b) Minting status will show in Overview page (in a new tab).

Please note: the above video is the old process for becoming a minter. If you completed the process as explained above, you do NOT need to complete the process in this section. This process is still able to be done, although the new plugin as previously explained makes the process a little easier. It's worth sharing how the old process works for educational purposes at the least! (You can skip this section.)

After reaching level 1, you will see your account level in top left corner of the UI reflect your new level. You will now need to create a ‘self share’ or 'minting key' with the use of your own public key:

1. Open the UI.

2. Click on ‘NODE MANAGEMENT’ in the left navigation column.

3. You will see a section on the main panel called “Node's minting accounts”. It has a “minting account address” and a “recipient account address”. Under “Action” in red you will see “REMOVE”. Click on that to remove your sponsor's key (as seen in first image below). You will then see the minting account removed and a notification of 'Successfully Removed Minting Account!' at the bottom of the screen (as seen in second image below):

4. Click on ‘REWARD SHARE’ in the left navigation column:

5. Click the settings toggle at the top right of the UI, and copy your public key (not your address).

6. Click ‘Create New Reward Share’ right underneath the settings Toggle at the top right of the UI:

7. Paste your public key into the box that comes up, do not change anything else, click ‘ADD’:

8. A new window will pop up with a new key, right click on it and copy that key before completing this step. This is your minting key (as seen in first image below). Click 'CONFIRM'. A message saying “Reward Share Successful!” will be displayed (as seen in second image below):

9. Wait a minute or so for at least one block to be processed on-chain (which has your Reward Share Key transaction). Then click on 'Node Management' on the left navigation column.

10. Click ‘ADD MINTING ACCOUNT’:

11. Right-click to paste the key - you can also paste by 'Cntrl' and 'V' keys. Click add. You should see “Minting Node Added Successfully!” (as seen in third image below). If not, it is because you have not yet removed the previous Minting Account as instructed in Step 3 of this guide:

Here is a single image guide for the steps above:

The sponsee does not have to wait for the sponsor to remove things on their end. The sponsee can begin these steps all on their own. Of course as a general courtesy, it is still nice to inform your sponsor of your account reaching Level 1 and you successfully setting up your own key to mint! That’s it! Congrats!

Remember: There is a 1 block confirmation period between creation of the key, from the point you can assign it, as it has to first be confirmed so the API can verify it. So be sure to wait at least 1 full minute (or notice block height and wait for next block after key creation) before attempting to assign the key… otherwise the assignment will fail as the chain is not aware of the created key.

Go to Regenerating The Minting Key page.