Election Cycle
Lifetime of a single TON validator set, about 18 hours. At the end, the next round of elections runs and a new set is selected.
Aliases: validator cycle, election period
Election Cycle is the period for which TON selects an active validator set. When it ends, the next round of elections runs and a new set takes over. The length is fixed by network config — around 18 hours on mainnet.
What happens inside a cycle
During a cycle validators:
- Produce blocks in the masterchain and shards as part of catchain groups.
- Earn rewards for every consensus round they sign successfully.
- Cannot withdraw their stake — it stays locked through the cycle plus a cooldown window.
In parallel, a few hours before the cycle ends the elector opens bidding for the next cycle. Candidates can stake TON and join the next set without a gap.
Windows
| Stage | Duration |
|---|---|
| Active validator set | ~18 hours |
| Bidding window | ~3 hours at the end of the cycle |
| Cooldown after cycle | ~9 hours |
After cooldown, stakes of losing or retiring validators are returned along with their accrued reward.
Why this length
Eighteen hours is a compromise. Too short — frequent turnover and operational load for validators and stakers. Too long — slow recovery from problems; if a validator’s internet drops, waiting a full day to rotate them out isn’t acceptable.
What it means for holders
If you stake through a nominator pool or liquid staking, your stake is tied to the cycle too: you can only enter and exit at the cycle boundaries. That’s why liquid wrappers (sttoND, bemo, tsTON) exist — they let you exit early by selling the wrapper instead of waiting for cycle end.