Let's dive into Solana liquid restaking and showcase all the concepts you need to be familiar with so that you can get the optimal yield for your SOL.

What Is Staking on Solana?

Staking is the foundation of Solana’s Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS) system. It’s how everyday users (like you) and professional validators combine forces to keep the blockchain fast, decentralized, and secure.

• Validators confirm transactions and produce new blocks. They’re like the servers powering the network.
• Stakers delegate their SOL to validators. This act strengthens validator security and earns you staking rewards in return.

When you stake SOL, you’re essentially “locking” your tokens to secure the Solana network. In return, you get rewarded with freshly minted SOL—much like an interest rate on a savings account, but with DeFi superpowers baked in.

Example Flow

1. You buy SOL on an exchange or swap into it.
2. You move SOL into a Solana wallet like Phantom or Solflare.
3. You delegate your SOL to a trusted validator (or staking pool) right within your wallet.
4. You earn staking rewards over time, automatically.

Placeholder for Visual: An infographic showing “You → Validator → Securing the Network → Earning SOL Rewards.”

What Are Liquid Staking Tokens (LSTs)?

Traditional staking is straightforward but can lock up your tokens for days or weeks, limiting your options if you want to hop into a hot new yield farm or buy an NFT at a moment’s notice. That’s where liquid staking tokens (LSTs) come in.

LSTs let you stake SOL and still have a freely tradable token that represents your staked balance. Two popular LST protocols are:

• Marinade: You stake SOL, receive mSOL, and keep earning staking rewards. Meanwhile, mSOL stays liquid—meaning you can lend, borrow, or trade it in Solana’s DeFi ecosystem.
• Lido: Similar idea, but you get stSOL in return for staking SOL.

Essentially, LSTs free your capital to do more—like having your cake (earning staking rewards) and eating it too (using your staked tokens across DeFi).

Placeholder for Video: Short animated clip walking through how staking SOL leads to receiving an LST (mSOL, stSOL), and showing possible DeFi integrations.

What Are Liquid Restaked Tokens (LRTs)?

If LSTs are a revelation, liquid restaking is the next level. Picture taking your LST (say, mSOL) and staking it again in a secondary protocol. This effectively layers an additional yield stream on top of your original staking rewards.

When you engage in restaking, you receive a Liquid Restaked Token (LRT) that represents both your staked SOL and its second layer of staking. It’s yield on top of yield, all while maintaining liquidity.

Comparing Jito, Solayer, and Clear

A few protocols have emerged to tackle restaking in their own unique ways:

1. Jito
   • Specializes in validator efficiency, promising optimal yields.
   • Lets you stake once, but secure multiple protocols at the same time.
   • Ideal for power users seeking to push yield boundaries.
2. Solayer
   • Focuses on smartly distributing stake across various validators.
   • Helps users automatically optimize for reliable rewards.
   • Known for its user-friendly restaking “set it and forget it” approach.
3. Clear
   • Goes beyond just restaking.
   • Allows you to create your own branded LRT—a custom, yield-bearing token representing restaked SOL.
   • Ideal for protocols, DAOs, or even individual power stakers who want a tailored solution.

Placeholder for Comparison Table:

Protocol Primary Feature Who It’s For Jito High-efficiency validator approach Yield chasers/power users Solayer Automated stake distribution Set-it-and-forget-it stakers Clear Custom-branded LRTs Builders, DAOs, advanced stakers

Restaking with Clear: Direct or Branded

Clear offers two main ways to restake:

1. Restake Directly with ClearSOL
   • Take your LST (e.g. mSOL) and convert it into ClearSOL, our native liquid restaked token.
   • Earn an additional yield stream on top of your base staking rewards.
   • Retain liquidity and flexibility, so you can keep moving fast in the Solana ecosystem.
2. Launch Your Own LRT
   • For builders, DAOs, or advanced stakers who want to stand out.
   • Use Clear’s protocol to launch a custom-branded token (e.g., “YourSOL”) backed by restaked yield.
   • Share this token with your community or integrate it into your dApp for unique incentives and branding.

Placeholder for Explainer Video: A short 60-second clip demonstrating the flow: Stake SOL → get LST → restake into Clear → earn second-layer rewards → optional creation of a custom token.

Bringing It All Together

• Staking SOL ensures Solana remains fast, scalable, and secure—and nets you a steady flow of rewards.
• Liquid Staking Tokens (LSTs) free your capital, letting you explore the broader DeFi ecosystem without losing out on staking yields.
• Liquid Restaked Tokens (LRTs) take LSTs one step further, compounding your rewards for maximum efficiency.
• Clear stands out by offering both direct restaking and the ability to launch your own branded LRT, making it an excellent choice for individual stakers and ecosystem builders alike.

Ready to explore the next era of staking on Solana? Check out Clear for a deeper dive into liquid restaking and custom token creation.

Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only. Do your own research (DYOR) and consider your risk tolerance before staking or restaking any assets.

Written by the Clear team, where we believe in leveraging Solana’s speed and flexibility to unlock new financial frontiers.