Actively Validated Services (AVS)
Web3 / infrastructure applications
Actively Validated Services are applications and protocols that leverage restaked cryptocurrency assets—typically Ethereum or liquid staking tokens—to secure their networks instead of building their own validator set from scratch. AVS operators use economic incentives and slashing conditions to align restaked capital with their protocol's security needs. This model allows new services to bootstrap security quickly by tapping into existing staking infrastructure, particularly through platforms like EigenLayer. AVS can range from data availability layers and oracle networks to bridges and sidechains, each utilizing restaked assets to achieve cryptoeconomic security without requiring independent validator recruitment. Example: EigenLayer's own data availability service, EigenDA, functions as an AVS by accepting restaked ETH and liquid restaking tokens to secure its high-throughput data availability layer, which serves rollups and other scaling solutions. Why it matters for blockchain infrastructure: AVS democratizes access to proven economic security models, enabling specialized services to launch without building validator networks from zero. This accelerates infrastructure innovation and optimizes capital efficiency across the blockchain ecosystem.
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