EigenLayer
Ethereum restaking protocol, now part of EigenCloud, where staked ETH and EIGEN secure other services.
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EigenLayer key facts
| Category | Restaking |
|---|---|
| Chains | Ethereum (Base as multichain destination) |
| Platforms | Web |
| Custody | Non-custodial |
| Security audits | Sigma Prime, Certora, Cantina, Diligence |
| Open source | Yes, contracts on GitHub |
| Chains | Ethereum (core); Base (multichain destination) |
| Token | EIGEN |
| Fees | No staker deposit fee in the contracts; default operator split of rewards is 10%; gas on every action |
| US availability | Available: terms restrict only sanctioned jurisdictions |
EIGEN token
- Price
- $0.1604 +3.0% 24h
- Market cap
- $163.4M
- Fully diluted value
- $298.6M
- 30-day change
- -33.1%
Market data: CoinGecko, updated Nov 9, 2026. Educational content, not financial advice.
What is EigenLayer?
EigenLayer is a restaking protocol on Ethereum where restakers, operators and services (AVSs) share security backed by slashable stake. It accepts EIGEN, native ETH, LSTs and ERC-20s. It is now the staking layer of EigenCloud, and its contracts are audited by Sigma Prime, Certora and Cantina.
How EigenLayer works
EigenLayer's core is a set of contracts on Ethereum.
To restake an LST or another ERC-20, you deposit through the StrategyManager into a per-token strategy contract, which gives you deposit shares. Anyone can deploy a new strategy for an ERC-20 through the StrategyFactory. To restake native ETH, you deploy an EigenPod through the EigenPodManager and point your validator's withdrawal credentials at it, and the pod verifies balances with beacon chain proofs.
You then delegate your shares to an operator through the DelegationManager. Operators register for operator sets created by AVSs in the AllocationManager and choose what share of delegated stake each set can slash, for example 50% of their stETH. AVSs pay rewards through the RewardsCoordinator: an offchain rewards updater computes each period's distribution, posts a merkle root onchain, and stakers and operators claim from it. The default operator split is 10%, and operators can set custom splits per AVS or operator set.
How to start with EigenLayer
- You need an Ethereum wallet holding a supported asset: EIGEN, an LST, another ERC-20 that has a strategy, or an Ethereum validator for native restaking.
- Deposit into the matching strategy or EigenPod, then delegate to an operator of your choice.
- Native restaking is supported on Ethereum mainnet and the Hoodi testnet, not on Base, where only multichain destination contracts are deployed.
- Plan around the exit timing.
- A withdrawal is queued first and can be completed only after MIN_WITHDRAWAL_DELAY_BLOCKS, which is 100,800 blocks or about 14 days on mainnet.
- When you complete it, you choose to receive tokens or keep them as shares.
- On testnets the same delay is only 50 blocks, about 10 minutes, so try the flow on a testnet first if you have not restaked before.
- The repo lists Hoodi with native restaking and Sepolia without it.
EigenLayer fees and limits
- Your rewards are also reduced by the operator's cut: the default split in the RewardsCoordinator is 10%, and operators can set a different split for each AVS or operator set.
The contract docs list no deposit fee for stakers. What you pay is Ethereum gas for each deposit, delegation, queued withdrawal and reward claim.
Risks to know before using EigenLayer
- Slashing is live.
- An AVS can slash an operator registered to one of its operator sets, and the DelegationManager applies that loss to every staker delegated to that operator.
- A withdrawal in the queue is still exposed: the amount you receive can be lower than the shares you queued if slashing happened in the meantime.
- Operators stay slashable for DEALLOCATION_DELAY, 14 days on mainnet, after deregistering, and new allocations take 17.5 days to apply.
- The core contracts sit behind upgradeable proxies, and the repo lists audit reports by Sigma Prime, Certora, Cantina and Diligence.
EigenLayer usage
From DefiLlama (TVL) (fees users paid), updated Nov 9, 2026.
Where EigenLayer ranks on DappAtlas
Listed next to EigenLayer
EigenLayer pros and cons
- Public contract repo with audit reports from 2023 to 2026
- Accepts native ETH, LSTs, EIGEN and ERC-20s
- Core protocol live on Ethereum mainnet
- Restaked assets can be slashed
- EIGEN emissions to the ETH quorum have ended
- Core protocol not deployed on Base, only multichain destination contracts
EigenLayer FAQ
What is EigenLayer?
EigenLayer is a restaking protocol on Ethereum where restakers, operators and services (AVSs) share security backed by slashable stake. It accepts EIGEN, native ETH, LSTs and ERC-20s. It is now the staking layer of EigenCloud, and its contracts are audited by Sigma Prime, Certora and Cantina.
How much value is locked in EigenLayer?
$5.4B according to DefiLlama on Nov 9, 2026. It is deployed on 1 chain: Ethereum.
How much does EigenLayer cost?
No staker deposit fee in the contracts; default operator split of rewards is 10%; gas on every action, according to EigenLayer’s own page (checked Sep 26, 2026).
How much do users pay EigenLayer in fees?
$312,304.6 over the last 30 days, according to DefiLlama on Nov 9, 2026.
Does EigenLayer have a token?
Yes, EIGEN. Its market cap was $163.4M on CoinGecko on Nov 9, 2026. Educational content, not financial advice.
Is EigenLayer available in the US?
Available: terms restrict only sanctioned jurisdictions, according to EigenLayer’s own page (checked Sep 26, 2026).
Does EigenLayer hold my funds?
No. EigenLayer is non-custodial: you keep your funds in your own wallet and sign each transaction.
Sources
- EigenLayer: official site
- EigenLayer: Audits (GitHub)
- EigenLayer: eigenlayer-contracts repo
- EigenCloud: Homepage
- EigenLayer: RewardsCoordinator docs (GitHub)
- EigenCloud: Terms of Service
- EigenLayer: Contracts docs overview (GitHub)
- EigenLayer: DelegationManager docs (GitHub)
- EigenLayer: AllocationManager docs (GitHub)
- CoinGecko
- DefiLlama
How this page works
Sources: EigenLayer: official site, EigenLayer: Audits (GitHub), EigenLayer: eigenlayer-contracts repo. Data as of Sep 26, 2026.
Not affiliated with any project listed. Educational content, not financial advice.