Design philosophy

The problems

Crypto-economic security is fragmented amongst multiple networks

Most blockchain systems have opted to a form of PoS (Proof of Stake), which requires a significant amount of collateral to be locked in the network for security. This collateral can technically be used to secure multiple services, not just a single PoS chain, as has been demonstrated by interchain security.

Security for decentralised services are generally low and difficult to obtain

Decentralized services are getting more abundant by the day yet they are typically not secured in any manner that is close to the security of the base layer that they provide the service for. This is getting more and more apparent as we move towards an inter-connected crypto scene. Services that are interconnected amongst multiple chains and services should have a similar or higher level of security.

Assets available for restaking are currently limited and the ecosystem is constrained

The majority of assets that can participate in liquid staking at the time of writing is relatively concentrated on one asset and derivatives of said asset. Restaking for stakers should be accessible to more assets and chain agnostic as possible.

Existing restaking solutions are less modular / flexible than what AVSs require

In order for a restaking layer to be able to cater for the wide range of AVSs instead of AVSs being required to consider tradeoffs for participating in it, the restaking layer must be inherently modular in the implementation level. Current solutions enforce a specific type of methodology in terms of how assets are delegated, distributed and slashed.

Problem-derived Principles

With the above points in mind, the design philosophy of the MilkyWay restaking layer focuses on becoming a fully customizable, extensible and therefore inherently modular restaking layer that evolves in order to cater for what AVSs needs.

Replaceability in the AVS level

AVSs can opt in, out or switch any settings they have in terms of how and which assets are allocated and distributed in whichever methods they feel is sufficiently decentralized.

Extensibility in the restaking layer

The restaking layer should be ever extensible such that new features can be added and updated in the restaking layer itself. The restaking layer should be ever evolving to cater for the AVSs needs.

Un-opinionated in the restaking layer

The restaking layer should be a completely free market in terms of who can build or participate on top of the MilkyWay restaking layer. The AVS should have full autonomy on how decentralized they wish to be, and the restaking layer should provide sufficient tooling for this to be customizable to be updatable or un-updatable when they deem fit.

Convenience in the AVS level

The restaking layer should evolve in a direction where they provide sufficient presets and the AVS only need to choose which to use such that AVSs can funnel as much focus to app logic as possible.