A staking pool is an on-chain smart contract that accepts token deposits from users and distributes rewards to stakers over time. On Solana, staking pools are built using Anchor programs and hold staked tokens in Program Derived Addresses.

Staking pools are created by project teams who configure the reward token, APR, lock period, and other parameters. Stakers deposit tokens and earn rewards according to the pool's configuration. All operations are executed on-chain — no intermediary holds the tokens.

Staking pools are used by Solana projects to incentivise long-term token holding, reduce sell pressure, and distribute rewards to their community.