What is an AVS? Services secured through restaking

An AVS is a service whose operators perform specified work backed by economic security commitments. Many sources expand the acronym as Actively Validated Services; EigenCloud’s current protocol overview uses Autonomous Verifiable Services.

The service defines the work. An operator set identifies participants, while an allocation establishes the relevant collateral. Services need not share the same verification method or penalty authority.

Example: scheduled price reporting

Imagine a service requiring operators to report a price every minute from specified data sources. Its rules must explain when an incorrect report or missed duty can trigger a penalty. Knowing that it supplies prices does not prove that every fault is automatically and objectively verified onchain.

EigenLayer’s slashing documentation explains that flexibility. Counting the AVSs supported by an operator does not establish reliability; allocations and shared dependencies matter too.

EigenLayer supplies the protocol layer connecting services and collateral. Our restaking risk guide explains how a depositor can inspect allocations and penalty authority.