What is (re)staking?

Blockchains have evolved to solve problems with scaling, security, and speed. Restaking is the newest step in this evolution. Instead of building completely new security systems for each blockchain or application, restaking lets developers “borrow” security from existing, established networks. This allows them to focus on building great applications instead of spending all their time and resources on securing the underlying network.

Imagine it like this: staking is like putting down a deposit to guarantee good behaviour on a blockchain. Restaking, then, is like reusing that same deposit to secure multiple things at once.

Why is this important?

• Faster Innovation: Developers can launch new applications more quickly and easily.

• Stronger Security: New projects instantly benefit from the security of well-established networks.

• More Efficient Use of Assets: Users can earn more rewards by staking their tokens and contributing to the security of multiple projects.

Before restaking, new blockchains or applications had to create their own security from scratch. Restaking lets them leverage the “economic security” of existing networks, offering stronger protection from the start. At its core, restaking simply applies the principles of traditional staking to more applications and services.

The biggest restaking project currently is outside of Solana, called EigenLayer. However, the Jito (Re)staking platform is pioneering this concept on Solana, allowing users to secure new on-chain products and services using almost any SPL token.