# Creating Stake Accounts ## How it works To stake SOL natively on Solana, you need a stake account. The Stake Manager lets you create one, fund it, and delegate it to a validator in a single flow. ## Creating a new stake account 1. Click the **"+ Stake SOL"** button 2. Enter the amount of SOL you want to stake 3. Select a validator to delegate to from the list 4. Optionally set a lockup time if you want to lock the account 5. Approve the transaction in your wallet The app reserves a small amount of SOL for transaction fees. Your stake account will be created and immediately delegated to the selected validator. ## Activation After creating a stake account, it enters the **activating** state. Your stake becomes active at the next epoch boundary. Solana epochs are roughly 2 days long. While activating, your stake is not yet earning rewards. Once the epoch turns over, the account transitions to **active** and begins earning. ## Choosing a validator The Stake Manager shows a list of available validators. You can search by name or vote address. Consider factors like commission rate, uptime, and total stake when choosing a validator. --- # 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.lantern.one/stake-manager/creating-stake-accounts.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.