> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.bedrock.technology/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.bedrock.technology/bedrock-lrt/introduction/intro-to-liquid-staking.md).

# Intro to Liquid Staking

Before introducing uniETH, it would be fitting to introduce what liquid staking is. 

PoS chains will be an integral part of the future of crypto, and become the foundation layer of which DeFi and metaverses will be built on.

However, PoS comes with some drawbacks for those wanting to participate directly as validators:

1. It requires technical know-how to set up and operate
2. 32ETH is a significant barrier for regular token holders to participate in POS validation
3. Staked tokens are locked up and become illiquid assets

To solve these issues, liquid staking protocols were born. Liquid staking abstracts the staking of tokens from running a validator node.

In exchange for their tokens, depositors receive a representative token from the protocol which is a claim on the tokens they have staked.


---

# Agent Instructions
This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com.

## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.bedrock.technology/bedrock-lrt/introduction/intro-to-liquid-staking.md?ask=<question>&goal=<endgoal>
```

`ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
`goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal.

The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.