API Request Errors

Error	Cause	Solution
401 Unauthorized	Wrong header format	Use `Authorization: api_key` (not `X-API-Key`)
400 Bad Request	Amount in SOL instead of lamports	Multiply SOL by `1,000,000,000`
400 Bad Request	Decimal in amount	Use whole numbers only (lamports)
400 Bad Request	Wrong field names	Use `stakeAuthorityPubkey` and `amountToStake`

Getting Started Checklist

Ready to start staking? Here's your step-by-step checklist:

Prepare Your Wallet
- Get your Solana wallet public key
- Ensure you have SOL for staking (minimum 0.01 SOL + fees)
- Set up transaction signing in your application
Test First
- Use the staging environment: https://api.staging.stake.fish/v1/solana/
- Try staking a small amount first (e.g., 0.01 SOL)
- Verify you can check rewards and withdraw successfully
Start Staking
- Check current APR with /rewards/summary
- Stake your desired amount with /delegations/delegate
- Note your stake account address for future operations
Monitor & Manage
- Wait 1–2 epochs (2–4 days) for activation
- Check rewards with /rewards/authority/{yourPubkey}
- Track APR with /rewards/authority/{yourPubkey}/stats
Plan Your Exit
- Remember: unstaking takes 1–2 epochs
- Keep some SOL liquid for immediate needs
- Consider using split operations for partial withdrawals

Example

Here's a real working example based on a successful 0.01 SOL staking transaction:

Step 1: Create Transaction via API

curl --request POST      --url https://api.stake.fish/v1/solana/delegations/delegate      --header 'Authorization: YOUR API KEY'      --header 'accept: application/json'      --header 'content-type: application/json'      --data '{
       "stakeAuthorityPubkey": "8EujJJBHSGhquE399QSG2M191Kw61X3chB6cC6NZhpGH",
       "amountToStake": "10000000"
     }'

Response:

{
  "serializedTransaction": "AQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAAgKa5H67aeXGGXD2SZu2nXl7mms4JWuaoJmJPHliKj4mzJCTUfou253UrWbFRlZxoCJAC5jQWSrgDFEbXwEzpAGAQMGRm/lIRcy...",
  "stakeAccountPubkey": "5TpFq4oNqpPDdxeD9DseApNdYvP5NfpBtB6MxLLKig4p",
  "voteAccountPubkey": "7VGU4ZwR1e1AFekqbqv2gvjeg47e1PwMPm4BfLt6rxNk"
}

Step 2: Sign and Send Transaction (`@solana/web3.js`)

// sign-stake.js
const { Connection, Keypair, Transaction } = require('@solana/web3.js');
const bs58 = require('bs58');

async function signAndSendStake() {
    // Your private key (from wallet export)
    const PRIVATE_KEY = "Your-private-key";
    
    // Response from Step 1
    const serializedTx = "AQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAAgKa5H67aeXGGXD2SZu2nXl7mms4JWuaoJmJPHliKj4mzJCTUfou253UrWbFRlZxoCJAC5jQWSrgDFEbXwEzpAGAQMGRm/lIRcy...";
    
    const keypair = Keypair.fromSecretKey(bs58.default.decode(PRIVATE_KEY));
    const connection = new Connection('https://api.mainnet-beta.solana.com', 'confirmed');
    
    const transaction = Transaction.from(Buffer.from(serializedTx, 'base64'));
    const { blockhash } = await connection.getLatestBlockhash('finalized');
    transaction.recentBlockhash = blockhash;
    transaction.feePayer = keypair.publicKey;
    
    transaction.sign(keypair);
    const signature = await connection.sendRawTransaction(transaction.serialize());
    await connection.confirmTransaction(signature, 'confirmed');
    
    console.log('✅ Staked successfully!');
    console.log('🔍 Transaction:', `https://explorer.solana.com/tx/${signature}`);
    console.log('📊 Stake Account: 5TpFq4oNqpPDdxeD9DseApNdYvP5NfpBtB6MxLLKig4p`);
}

signAndSendStake().catch(console.error);

Step 3: Monitor Your Stake

After 1–2 epochs (2–4 days), check your stake status:

curl https://api.mainnet-beta.solana.com -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json"   -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"getAccountInfo","params":["5TpFq4oNqpPDdxeD9DseApNdYvP5NfpBtB6MxLLKig4p",{"encoding":"jsonParsed"}]}'

Step 4: Monitor Your Rewards with Stakefish API

After your stake is activated (2–4 days), you can monitor your rewards using the Stakefish API.

Get detailed reward history

curl --request GET      --url https://api.stake.fish/v1/solana/rewards/stake-account/5TpFq4oNqpPDdxeD9DseApNdYvP5NfpBtB6MxLLKig4p      --header 'Authorization: your_api_key_here'      --header 'accept: application/json'

Sample Response:

{
    "totalItems": 5,
    "results": [
        {
            "epoch": {
                "epochNumber": 835,
                "startDate": "2025-08-17T19:14:09.000Z",
                "endDate": "2025-08-19T18:23:39.000Z"
            },
            "stakeAccountPubkey": "5TpFq4oNqpPDdxeD9DseApNdYvP5NfpBtB6MxLLKig4p",
            "inflationRewards": "5407",      // ~0.000005407 SOL
            "mevRewards": "378",             // ~0.000000378 SOL
            "cumulativeInflationRewards": "48942",
            "cumulativeMevRewards": "3786"
        }
    ]
}

Get APR statistics

curl --request POST      --url https://api.stake.fish/v1/solana/rewards/stake-account/stats      --header 'Authorization: your_api_key_here'      --header 'accept: application/json'      --header 'content-type: application/json'      --data '{"stakeAccountPubkeys": ["5TpFq4oNqpPDdxeD9DseApNdYvP5NfpBtB6MxLLKig4p"]}'

Sample APR Response:

{
    "percentageTotal": "6.67",       // Total APR: 6.67%
    "percentageInflation": "6.19",   // Inflation APR: 6.19%
    "percentageMev": "0.48",         // MEV APR: 0.48%
    "aprType": "backward",
    "timeWindow": "7d"
}

Support and Resources

Detailed parameter specifications: https://docs.stake.fish/docs/solana-staking-getting-started
Production API: https://api.stake.fish/v1/solana/
Monitor Solana epoch timing for optimal staking operations