EigenLayer's recent surge in total locked value to over $12.4 billion has been a highlight in Ethereum's DeFi realm. The latest update on Tuesday, April 9, saw EigenLayer unveiling its debut on the Ethereum mainnet.

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In a recent announcement, EigenLayer introduced EigenDA and EigenLayer, Ethereum's restaking mechanisms, onto the Ethereum mainnet. EigenDA, the first AVS (Autonomous Vault System) to go live, steps into competition with platforms like Celestia in offering data storage services.

The new features include:

1. Restakers now have the choice to delegate their entire stake to a selected Operator.

2. Operators can officially join EigenLayer and opt to manage AVSs.

3. AVSs can enroll with the protocol, starting with EigenDA (currently in beta testing).

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Previously, restaking in EigenLayer involved depositing LSTs or setting up validator withdrawal credentials to an EigenPod. With the recent introduction of operators and an AVS (EigenDA), active restaking now involves delegating to one of the top 200 operators managing AVSs.

More Information for Restakers

EigenLayer's blog post highlighted that to restake in an AVS like EigenDA, individuals need to delegate their entire stake to an operator participating in that specific AVS. If an operator opts into multiple AVSs, the stake delegated to them covers all associated AVSs. While delegation is non-custodial, meaning operators do not hold the stake, EigenLayer does not guarantee the suitability of any operator to effectively operate AVS software.

In the short term, EigenLayer does not present slashing risks as operators establish themselves in the ecosystem and strengthen their processes. However, operators may face slashing penalties if they fail to operate AVSs correctly.

For individuals restaking in EigenLayer through an LRT (Liquidity Transformation Request), the LRT DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) manages the delegation process. Each LRT operates independently and is at different stages of readiness to oversee restaker delegations. It's important to note that these LRTs are not affiliated with Eigen Labs. Therefore, individuals should directly contact each LRT to inquire about their plans for restaker delegations.