What is an AVS?

Imagine a world where decentralized applications (dApps) can control how much power they have to process transactions on the blockchain by staking tokens into validators. This means that the more tokens a dApp has staked, the more it can influence the network’s operations. As a result, user transactions become faster and more reliable. Big dApps with many users and a lot of staked tokens benefit the most, as they get more transaction processing power without having to pay extra fees.

Solayer is creating a trustless marketplace that allows dApps to manage and collect staked tokens from users and get the right amount of processing power directly from validators. Unlike Eigenlayer, which focuses on external services like cross-chain bridges and oracles, Solayer starts with native Solana dApps. These are called endogenous AVSs (Actively Validated Services), and Solayer helps them secure the necessary block space and prioritize their transactions based on the tokens staked with them.

In simpler terms, Solayer allows dApps on Solana to reserve their own space and processing power on the blockchain.

This makes the network more efficient and reliable for everyone using these applications. One of the technical features that make this possible is called Stake-weightedQuality of Service (swQoS).