Stake your ETH, earn rewards, & help secure the network

Rocket Pool is a liquid staking protocol that lets you stake ETH and receive rETH in return. The protocol matches liquid staker deposits with node operator deposits to create validators. Node operators earn a commission on the staking rewards generated from liquid staker ETH, while liquid stakers earn the remaining rewards automatically through rETH's appreciating exchange rate. Anyone can participate — stake as little as 0.01 ETH or run a node with 8 ETH plus RPL collateral. Available at rocketpool-staking.com.

rETH is Rocket Pool's liquid staking token. When you deposit ETH into Rocket Pool, you receive rETH at the current exchange rate. As validators earn staking rewards, the rETH/ETH exchange rate increases over time — meaning your rETH becomes worth more ETH without any action required. rETH can be freely transferred, used as collateral in lending protocols, deposited into liquidity pools, or redeemed back to ETH at any time.

To become a node operator, you need to deposit 8 ETH along with a minimum of 10% of your bonded ETH value in RPL tokens as collateral. Rocket Pool then matches your 8 ETH with 24 ETH from the liquid staking deposit pool to create a full 32 ETH validator (called a minipool). You earn staking rewards on your own ETH plus a commission (5–14%) on the rewards from the matched ETH. You also earn RPL rewards each reward period. Install the Smartnode stack to get started.

RPL is Rocket Pool's protocol token with several key functions. Node operators stake RPL as insurance collateral — a minimum of 10% (up to 150%) of their bonded ETH value. RPL stakers earn RPL rewards each 28-day reward period, distributed from protocol inflation. RPL also provides governance power in the pDAO, allowing holders to vote on protocol parameters, treasury spending, and upgrades.

DeFi Vaults are Rocket Pool's newest feature, offering curated yield strategies for rETH holders. Instead of manually managing your rETH across different protocols, Vaults automate the process — depositing your rETH into optimized strategies that earn additional yield on top of base staking rewards. Strategies are audited and risk-assessed, with flexible withdrawal options.

Rocket Pool has been live since November 2021 with zero security incidents and over $3B in staked value. The protocol has undergone multiple security audits from Sigma Prime, Consensys Diligence, and Trail of Bits. All code is fully open source on GitHub. An active bug bounty program through Immunefi incentivizes responsible vulnerability disclosure. The protocol's non-custodial design means no single party can access staked funds.

Rocket Pool supports all major wallets including MetaMask, Ledger (hardware wallet), Trezor, WalletConnect, Coinbase Wallet, Rainbow, and any wallet compatible with WalletConnect v2. For node operation, the Smartnode software supports various client configurations. Mobile users can connect through WalletConnect-compatible mobile wallets.

Rocket Pool is uniquely permissionless — anyone can run a node, unlike other protocols that rely on a curated set of operators. This makes the protocol more resilient and aligned with the network's values. Rocket Pool's minipool system lets node operators start with just 8 ETH (vs. 32 ETH solo). The RPL collateral system creates aligned incentives between stakers and operators. rETH is backed by a diverse set of thousands of independent node operators across the globe.

Yes. rETH holders can redeem their rETH for ETH at any time through the Rocket Pool protocol when there is sufficient liquidity in the deposit pool. Alternatively, rETH can be swapped to ETH on secondary markets (e.g. Balancer, Curve, Uniswap) at any time. For node operators, exiting a minipool involves signaling a voluntary exit for the validator, which processes within a few days.

Full documentation is available at docs.rocketpool.net covering both liquid staking and node operation. For community support, Rocket Pool has one of the most active Discord communities with dedicated support channels. Follow @rocket_pool on Twitter for announcements. Developer resources and guides are also available at docs.rocketpool.net.