EigenLayer

EigenLayer is an Ethereum restaking protocol launched in 2023 that allows Ethereum stakers to extend the cryptoeconomic security of their staked ETH beyond the Ethereum consensus layer to a new category of decentralized services called Actively Validated Services (AVS). By depositing restaked ETH or supported liquid staking tokens (LSTs) such as stETH into EigenLayer, stakers make their staked capital available as a security backing for AVS operators, who run the software infrastructure for services registered with EigenLayer. The protocol is accessible at app.eigenlayer.xyz and operates on Ethereum mainnet, with smart contract source code published under the Layr-Labs GitHub organization

EigenLayer introduces a two-sided marketplace where restakers provide capital-backed security and operators run the active validation infrastructure needed by AVS protocols. Restakers delegate their restaked positions to operators, who register with one or more AVS protocols to provide the computational work required by each service in exchange for operator rewards. The EIGEN token supplements this architecture with a mechanism for intersubjective slashing — addressing categories of service failures that cannot be resolved by purely on-chain cryptographic proofs — and participates in governance within the EigenLayer ecosystem. Documentation is available at docs.eigencloud.xyz and audit reports covering the deployed EigenLayer smart contracts are listed at docs.eigencloud.xyz/eigenlayer/security/audits

The primary interface for restakers is app.eigenlayer.xyz, where users connect an Ethereum wallet to deposit natively staked ETH or supported liquid staking tokens into the EigenLayer restaking contracts. Native restaking requires pointing an Ethereum validator's withdrawal credentials to an EigenLayer EigenPod contract, enabling the Beacon Chain balance to be accounted within the EigenLayer protocol. Liquid restaking allows holders of LSTs such as stETH, rETH, or other supported tokens to deposit those tokens directly into EigenLayer strategy contracts, making the staked value available for operator delegation within the protocol

After depositing, restakers select an operator to delegate their restaked position to, granting that operator the authority to opt into AVS services on the restaker's behalf. Operators who accept delegated stake are responsible for running the software required by the AVS protocols they have opted into, and restakers assume the slashing risk associated with the operator's performance within each AVS. The delegation relationship can be changed over time by the restaker, subject to the protocol's defined withdrawal queuing process which ensures that restaked capital is not immediately liquid upon undelegation, providing slashing guarantees to AVS protocols during the queuing period

Native restaking on EigenLayer is supported for Ethereum validators through the EigenPod contract system, which allows validators to direct their Beacon Chain withdrawal credentials to an EigenPod deployed for their Ethereum address. This configuration allows the Beacon Chain balance associated with those validators to be tracked and accounted within EigenLayer's stake accounting, without requiring the actual ETH to leave the Beacon Chain withdrawal process. The EigenPod approach preserves the security properties of native Ethereum staking — including Beacon Chain slashing and consensus participation — while simultaneously making the validator's stake available as a capital backing for AVS services registered on EigenLayer

Liquid restaking allows holders of ERC-20 liquid staking tokens — such as Lido's stETH, Rocket Pool's rETH, and other supported LSTs — to deposit these tokens into EigenLayer strategy contracts and participate in the restaking marketplace without running an Ethereum validator directly. Each supported LST has a corresponding EigenLayer strategy contract that tracks depositor balances and applies the appropriate accounting for delegation to operators. This approach broadens the pool of restakers beyond validator operators to any user holding a supported LST, expanding the scale of cryptoeconomic security available to AVS protocols on EigenLayer

Actively Validated Services (AVS) are decentralized services registered with EigenLayer that consume cryptoeconomic security from the restaker and operator network to support their operational requirements. An AVS defines the tasks its operators must perform, the slashing conditions that apply when an operator fails to perform correctly, and the reward structure for operators who fulfill their obligations. EigenDA, a data availability service, is one example of an AVS that uses EigenLayer's restaking infrastructure to source operator commitments backed by restaked ETH. The AVS architecture allows a range of decentralized service designs — including data availability layers, oracle networks, and validation services — to leverage Ethereum's cryptoeconomic security without bootstrapping an independent validator set

The EIGEN token introduces a mechanism for intersubjective slashing, which addresses AVS fault conditions that cannot be adjudicated purely by on-chain verifiable proofs — such as providing incorrect data that is objectively observable by external participants but not provable within a smart contract. Intersubjective slashing through EIGEN allows the EigenLayer ecosystem to penalize provably incorrect operator behavior even when the fault falls outside the scope of on-chain cryptographic verification. The EIGEN token is governed by the community through the governance forum at forum.eigenlayer.xyz, and its role within the protocol's slashing and reward architecture is documented in the EigenLayer technical documentation at docs.eigencloud.xyz

EigenLayer supports a range of restaking and decentralized service use cases across Ethereum: ETH validators restake their staked capital to earn additional operator rewards by delegating to operators running AVS infrastructure; LST holders restake supported liquid staking tokens to participate in the EigenLayer restaking marketplace without operating a validator node directly; node operators register as EigenLayer operators and opt into AVS services to earn rewards from the protocols they support with active validation work; AVS developers build decentralized services that leverage EigenLayer's restaking marketplace to source cryptoeconomic security from existing staked ETH rather than bootstrapping a new independent validator or token security model; and EIGEN token holders participate in governance through the forum at forum.eigenlayer.xyz to influence protocol parameters and the intersubjective slashing mechanism

Developer integration with EigenLayer is supported through the documentation at docs.eigencloud.xyz/eigenlayer/concepts/eigenlayer-overview and the open-source smart contract repositories available on GitHub under the Layr-Labs organization, including the eigenlayer-contracts repository at github.com/Layr-Labs/eigenlayer-contracts. Teams building AVS protocols can reference the documented AVS interfaces to understand the operator registration, task submission, and slashing condition requirements for integrating their service with EigenLayer's restaking marketplace. Contract ABIs, deployment addresses for Ethereum mainnet, and integration guidance for native restaking through the EigenPod system and LST restaking through strategy contracts are available through the GitHub repository and linked documentation resources

EigenLayer maintains a list of smart contract audit reports at docs.eigencloud.xyz/eigenlayer/security/audits, covering audits of the core EigenLayer contracts including the EigenPod system, strategy contracts, delegation manager, and related protocol infrastructure. All EigenLayer smart contract source code is publicly available on GitHub under the Layr-Labs organization for independent review, with the eigenlayer-contracts repository at github.com/Layr-Labs/eigenlayer-contracts serving as the primary reference for deployed contract implementations. The EigenLayer protocol introduces slashing risk beyond standard Ethereum staking — restakers who delegate to operators assume the risk that operator performance failures within an AVS could result in slashing of a portion of their restaked balance under the terms of the relevant AVS slashing conditions. Users evaluating EigenLayer should review the audit documentation, assess the slashing risk model associated with each operator and AVS, and apply standard Web3 wallet security practices before depositing ETH or LST positions into the restaking contracts

EigenLayer provides Ethereum restaking infrastructure that extends staked ETH cryptoeconomic security to Actively Validated Services through a two-sided marketplace of restakers, operators, and AVS protocols, with native ETH restaking through EigenPod contracts and LST restaking through strategy contracts deployed on Ethereum mainnet. Published audit documentation at docs.eigencloud.xyz/eigenlayer/security/audits, open-source contracts at github.com/Layr-Labs/eigenlayer-contracts, and EIGEN governance through forum.eigenlayer.xyz give developers, operators, and restakers structured resources for evaluating the protocol's security posture and integration requirements. Teams and users evaluating EigenLayer should review the documentation, the audit list, and the eigenlayer-contracts repository to understand the EigenPod architecture, delegation model, slashing conditions, and AVS integration requirements before depositing into the restaking protocol