EigenLayer Launches Stage 2 Testnet: here's what's new and you need to know

EigenLayer has announced the launch of its Stage 2 testnet on the Ethereum Goerli Network. This release is the onset of the second development phase, focusing primarily on enhancing the protocol’s security and functionality. In order to achieve its goals, EigenLayer is actively seeking participation and feedback to accelerate progress towards the mainnet launch.

TL;DR:

• EigenLayer has released Testnet Stage 2;

• Operators can now register to the network and begin validations;

• Restakers can delegate their stakes to operators;

• EigenDA is enabled to be integrated on rollups. It will be the first and exclusive AVS service live at this stage.

Stage 2 Testnet: Overview

Testnet stage 2 represents a pivotal moment in EigenLayer's roadmap. Launched in June, Stage 1 of EigenLayer's protocol introduced restaking on the mainnet Ethereum, leading to 170,000 ETH being restaked.

While caps on the restaking of Liquid Staking Tokens (LSTs) are still in effect, the company shared that there are plans in motion to not only add several new LSTs in the coming months but also to progressively raise and eventually remove these caps - according to the latest announcement on this, we can expect to see Stakewise, Swell, Origin, Stader, Binance and Ankr LSTs being integrated in EigenLayer’s protocols.

Building on this foundation, Stage 2 enables Operators to register and start validating for the first AVS, EigenDA. This stage allows Restakers to delegate their stake to these Operators, thereby contributing to shared security with EigenDA. Moreover, Rollups are now enabled to integrate with EigenDA and explore applications in cost-effective, hyperscale throughput scenarios.

The testnet is now open to various participants:

• Restakers: You can restake Native Goerli ETH or LSTs and delegate them to an operator of your choice. This choice is critical as it determines the AVSs you support, with EigenDA currently being the only option available.

• Operators: Registration on the network is permissionless, welcoming everyone from solo stakers to large institutions. Operator registration can be done via the Operator CLI.

• AVS Developers: A golden opportunity to explore and learn how to build your AVSs using EigenDA and the demo AVS, Incredible Squaring.

Stakers, Restakers, Operators and EigenDA AVS Framework. Source: EigenLayer Blog

EigenDA and its Role

EigenDA is the first actively validated service (AVS) in the EigenLayers ecosystem developed by EigenLabs. It promises to be a secure, high-throughput, and decentralized data availability service, that will become the first proof point for the power of programmable trust.

Within this stage, EigenDA will be launched with an initial throughput target of 1Mbps, which will be facilitated by 30 operators. The goal is to keep on incrementally scaling the AVS until it is able to reach a target throughput of 10Mbps.

To do so, EigenLayer expects to have an increasing number of operators joining the network and contributing to its growth, by opting to delegate their stake to EigenDA.

EigenLayer AVSs number is expected to grow upon the deployment of Stage 3 Testnet. Many of them are already being developed, so make sure to check our coming article “EigenLayer new AVSs: A deep dive into the ecosystem”.

InceptionLRT role on EigenLayers Stage 2 Testnet

As we look to the future, the Stage 2 mainnet of EigenLayer is anticipated to launch in the first half of 2024, paving the way for Stage 3, which will bring more AVSs into the fold beyond EigenDA.

At InceptionLRT, we are thrilled about this launch and the doors it will open for our operation. During this testnet stage, we will be able to start deploying our platform and provide security to EigenDA, by restaking ETH and ETH LSTs into operators.

We're committed to keep developing our services, by following each major development and/or breakthrough on this Testnet stage 2.

We invite our readers to keep on testing the InceptionLRT platform, exploring its capabilities, and engaging in our community platforms such as Discord or X Platform. We will gladly help you understand anything you may have questions about and are eager to listen to your feedback.