Operators
Operators are entities running infrastructure for decentralized networks within and outside of the Symbiotic ecosystem. The Symbiotic protocol creates a registry of operators, logs interactions with the protocol, and protocol participants can attach credentials and other data to operator entities. In the initial version, this encompasses operator entity metadata provided by the operators themselves, as well as data created by interacting with the Symbiotic protocol, such as:
- Networks that the operator opted into
- Associated vaults and restaked collateral from vaults
- Historical logs of slashings and all other interactions with the Symbiotic ecosystem
An important benefit of the Symbiotic protocol and its enshrined vault system is the ability for operators to receive a stake from different partners (through vaults) to the same set of node infrastructure per supported network. This system allows node operators to acquire the stake from a diverse set of stakers with differing risk profiles without needing to set up isolated infrastructure for them.
In the future, we envision the Symbiotic protocol to contain a rich set of verifiable data and curated credentials about node operators. This will enable future networks using Symbiotic to source security for their use case to utilize innovative and maximally capital-efficient reputation-based operator selection mechanisms.
Network Integration
An operator opts into a network in order to provide specific services. Each network independently decides whether to include that operator in the active set, based on criteria such as reputation, performance history, stake delegated to the operator, and any network specific requirements.
Operators can take different forms depending on the network. They may be node operators or validators that run the consensus algorithm for L1s, maintain network specific binaries, and produce or sign messages for bridging, oracles, and other middleware. They can also be strategy operators such as risk managers or AI agents whose task is to execute a defined DeFi strategy efficiently under the rules of the network. In all cases, once admitted, operators are responsible for meeting uptime, correctness, and security expectations, and failures can result in removal from the active set and slashing according to the network policy.
Slashing
The operator’s stake becomes active and subject to slashing immediately after the opt-in process to both the network and the vault. However, the corresponding role in the vault can apply the timelock for allocating a stake for additional guarantees for operators. The slashing process is implemented in the vault’s Slasher module.
Rewards
Operators provide services to networks, as discussed. This can include running consensus clients and other binaries, managing DeFi strategies, or operating offchain infrastructure that the network depends on. In return, they need to be compensated for the risk and operational effort they take. Networks pay operators using the revenues they generate from offering their services to external clients, from protocol fees, or from token inflation earmarked for security and operations. Symbiotic provides a flexible rewards framework that routes these payments to operators and stakers, so incentives align with the work being performed on each network.