ConsenSys’s Infura, a leading Ethereum validator node provider, has announced a major step forward in its efforts to decentralize Web3 infrastructure. At Devcon 2024, Infura revealed plans to launch its Decentralized Infrastructure Network (DIN) as an Actively Validated Service (AVS) on the Ethereum restaking platform, EigenLayer.
The move marks a significant milestone for Infura's DIN, which aims to create a decentralized Web3 API marketplace—essentially a "decentralized app store" for blockchain infrastructure services. Through this integration with EigenLayer, Infura hopes to improve accessibility, scalability, and reliability for developers building on Ethereum and other leading blockchains.
DIN serves as a permissionless marketplace for developers to connect with Ethereum and other blockchains such as Starknet, BNB Smart Chain, ZKsync, Mantle, and Scroll. It allows developers to access decentralized infrastructure services while ensuring that service providers meet specific validation standards.
As an Actively Validated Service (AVS), DIN will leverage EigenLayer's restaking protocol, which enhances Ethereum’s security by allowing participants to earn rewards through restaking their Ether (ETH) on third-party services, without needing to launch a new token. This integration provides several key benefits for both providers and users:
Tom Hay, Head of Product for Infura DIN, commented on the significance of the partnership at Devcon: “By leaning on Ethereum’s economic security through EigenLayer, we continue to build on DIN’s steady progress, creating a Web3 permissionless marketplace for infrastructure services.”
EigenLayer, the Ethereum restaking protocol, has seen extraordinary growth in 2024. The total value locked (TVL) on the platform surged by 900% since the beginning of the year, reaching $13.4 billion, according to DefiLlama. Although the platform’s TVL peaked at $20 billion in June before seeing a slight dip, it has seen a recent uptick thanks to rising ETH prices and continued demand for its restaking capabilities.
EigenLayer allows validators to "restake" their staked Ether (ETH) across multiple services, including those operated by independent projects and protocols, which in turn provides additional rewards for ETH holders while ensuring robust security and decentralization. This model opens the door for permissionless infrastructure provisioning and creates a more scalable Web3 ecosystem.
Sreeram Kannan, founder of EigenLayer, emphasized the value of the integration: “Building DIN as an EigenLayer AVS enables permissionless infrastructure provision, thus scaling the marketplace while simultaneously increasing reliability and reducing costs.”
The partnership between Infura’s DIN and EigenLayer is part of a broader effort to build a more decentralized and resilient Web3 ecosystem. By using Ethereum’s existing security infrastructure through EigenLayer, Infura aims to provide developers with a more efficient, cost-effective way to deploy decentralized services while ensuring that the marketplace remains permissionless and inclusive.
As Web3 continues to grow and evolve, the integration of decentralized infrastructure services like DIN into EigenLayer's restaking protocol could play a critical role in reducing barriers to entry, improving service reliability, and lowering the overall cost of developing blockchain-based applications.
With Ethereum’s role as the foundational layer for the decentralized web solidifying, initiatives like DIN on EigenLayer are poised to reshape the landscape of Web3 infrastructure, making it more accessible, secure, and efficient for developers around the world.
Infura’s transition to an Actively Validated Service on EigenLayer represents a significant step forward in the decentralization of blockchain infrastructure. By leveraging Ethereum’s economic security and EigenLayer’s restaking protocol, Infura is positioning itself as a key player in the evolution of decentralized Web3 infrastructure, offering both developers and service providers a more secure, efficient, and scalable ecosystem. With the continued growth of EigenLayer and the broader Web3 space, the future of decentralized infrastructure looks promising, and Infura’s DIN could be at the forefront of this next wave of innovation.
November 2024, Cryptoniteuae