# Staking Staking in the context of decentralized finance (DeFi) refers to the process of holding and locking up a cryptocurrency, usually in a specific wallet or smart contract, in order to participate in the operation of a blockchain network and earn rewards. Staking is a way for individuals and organizations to support the security and decentralization of a blockchain network by providing their own computing resources, such as processing power or storage, to validate transactions and produce new blocks. In return for their contribution, stakers are typically rewarded with a share of the transaction fees and/or a portion of the new cryptocurrency that is created as part of the block production process. Staking can be seen as an alternative to mining, which is the process of producing new blocks on a blockchain network using specialized hardware. Unlike mining, staking does not require expensive hardware or a lot of electricity, and it can be done using a standard computer or a mobile device. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.litedex.io/developers/technical-reference/smart-contract/yield-farming.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.