Integration with Obol Network (DVT)
Obol Network — second major DVT protocol alongside SSV. Obol's technical approach differs: instead of keyshares they use Distributed Key Generation (DKG) — key never exists wholly with anyone. SSV splits existing key; Obol creates distributed key from scratch through ceremony where no participant sees full secret.
Charon: DVT Middleware
Obol's main component — Charon (pronounced "Charon"). This middleware runs alongside consensus client and coordinates distributed signing:
Consensus Client (Lighthouse/Prysm/Teku)
↕ (Beacon Node API)
Charon Middleware
↕ (P2P network)
Other Charon nodes (operators)
Charon acts as transparent proxy: consensus client thinks it communicates with normal beacon node, but signing is actually distributed.
DKG Ceremony with Obol
# Create cluster definition
obol create cluster \
--name "my-cluster" \
--withdrawal-addresses 0xYourWithdrawalAddress \
--nodes 4 \
--threshold 3
# Each operator runs DKG ceremony
obol create dkg \
--definition-file cluster-definition.json
# Result: deposit-data.json and .charon/ with key shares
# Nobody saw full key — created distributed
Docker Compose Setup
Obol provides Docker Compose templates. Charon proxies to consensus client, operators communicate P2P.
Obol Splits: Reward Distribution
For liquid staking protocols using Obol — Obol Splits automatically distributes staking rewards between DVT cluster operators through 0xSplits contract.
Integration of Obol into liquid staking protocol — 4-8 weeks. Key components: DKG ceremony automation, Charon deployment, Splits for reward distribution.