Jito Labs' client software for Solana now manages 16% of validator stakes

Solana Foundation's new validator client Jito Labs is handling an increasing portion of validator stakes on the network, according to a research report shared with The Block.

The new validators Jito and Jump Crypto, will be critical for making the network more robust, the oranization, which is behind the Solana blockchain, added.

Client software tools enable validators to connect and interact with the Solana blockchain network, creating and validating transactions, participating in consensus and propagating data across the network. Currently, Solana has three clients, with Jito Labs' client and Solana Labs' client gaining popularity.

Jito Labs launched its second validator client to the mainnet in August 2022; it is independently built and maintained by the company. Solana Labs created the original client. Jump Crypto is set to build a new validator client on Solana called Firedancer, but it is not yet available.

Solana Labs' client still manages 84% of the validators' stake, while Jito Labs' client handles 16% of the network as of March 5. The Solana Foundation hopes to see a more equitable distribution of clients, particularly once Firedancer is deployed to mainnet beta.

"While most of the current validator network uses the original Solana Labs client, an increasing percentage of the network is opting to use Jito Labs’ software," the foundation said. "We’re monitoring this number closely and hope to see it become more evenly distributed over time, particularly once Firedancer is deployed to mainnet beta."

The Solana Foundation stressed the importance of having a well-distributed network and attracting high-quality validators to maintain a strong and robust network.

Improving network health

After its most recent network outage, which took place on Feb. 25, the Solana Foundation has taken steps to improve the network's health, particularly at the software level. The root cause of the degradation is still under investigation, the Foundation noted.

The Foundation added that it is now providing software tools and educational resources to its community of validators and stakers. Additionally, it hired a head of staking ecosystem to serve as an ambassador for the network's community of stakers and validators, promoting growth and resilience within the network.