# Guardians and Proof-of-Authority

### Guardians and Proof-of-Authority

Ethos will initially launch with a Proof-of-Authority (PoA) consensus mechanism, with plans to transition to Proof-of-Stake in the future. Through PoA, Ethos elects network validators based on their identity or reputation rather than their staked amount. Their identity is formally vetted by the network, with the ability to cross-check the information in the public domain. These validators, called Guardians, are responsible for validating the Guardian chain and securing the network.

Ethos operators on EigenLayer delegate their stake to Guardians based on their performance and reputation (note that in some cases the operator and the guardian might be the same entity). Through Ethos's Opt-In Shared Security mechanism, these Guardians opt into taking additional responsibility, securing (co-validating) multiple L1 chains. This process extends the security of restaked ETH beyond the Ethereum ecosystem.
