libp2p — Strengthening Ethereum’s Networking and Security Infrastructure

Supporting resilient, secure, and decentralized Ethereum infrastructure

libp2p has been selected for Ethereum Deep Grants funding, securing Rank #12 among all projects that applied this year. This recognition reinforces the importance of resilient peer-to-peer networking as foundational infrastructure for Ethereum’s consensus clients, decentralized systems, and the emerging agent economy.

Through Gitcoin Grants Round 24, we aim to strengthen the sustainability of libp2p, improve collaboration across the Ethereum ecosystem, and advance the security and operational coordination needed to support Ethereum’s long-term resilience.

Our priorities

1. Strengthening coordination with the Ethereum Foundation

At Devcon, we will host three roundtable discussions focused on improving institutional coordination between the Ethereum Foundation and libp2p.

These discussions will help establish clearer communication channels, shared priorities, and actionable workflows for managing protocol risks and strengthening networking infrastructure.

Learn more: https://libp2p.tech/protocol-risk-management

2. Establishing security coordination workflows

We are working toward a dedicated coordination cell involving the Ethereum Foundation, SEER, Ethereum client teams, and libp2p contributors.

This initiative will focus on:

Establishing regular monthly security and coordination calls.
Clarifying roles, responsibilities, and escalation pathways.
Improving vulnerability management and security response workflows.
Sharing recommendations and operational practices across client teams.
Supporting coordinated risk assessment and long-term protocol security.

Discussion: https://github.com/libp2p/libp2p/discussions/292

3. Improving operations and collaboration across Ethereum clients

We are developing operational workstreams with the Ethereum Foundation to improve collaboration around Ethereum consensus clients and their networking dependencies.

The work will explore practical tooling, coordination processes, shared operational responsibilities, and more effective collaboration between client maintainers and the libp2p ecosystem.

Discussion: https://github.com/seetadev/libp2p-2035/discussions/14

4. Supporting Ethereum client teams

We have prepared presentations for Ethereum client teams that outline the key coordination opportunities, proposed workflows, and recommendations discussed with the Ethereum Foundation.

These materials include a detailed version covering potential operational and security workflows.

Presentation materials: https://tinyurl.com/eth-clients-coordination

Why this work matters

Ethereum depends on robust peer-to-peer networking to support communication between clients, propagate consensus messages, and maintain resilient decentralized infrastructure.

Sustaining libp2p and improving coordination between its maintainers, the Ethereum Foundation, security initiatives, and client teams can help:

Improve network resilience: Strengthen the networking foundations used by Ethereum clients.
Enhance security coordination: Enable earlier identification, communication, and resolution of networking risks.
Support client diversity: Improve collaboration across independently maintained Ethereum clients.
Build sustainable infrastructure: Support the ongoing maintenance, development, and security of shared open-source networking software.
Strengthen ecosystem collaboration: Create durable processes for coordinating technical priorities and operational needs.

Our commitment

We will continue working with the Ethereum Foundation, SEER, Ethereum consensus client teams, and the wider libp2p community to define milestones and advance these initiatives over the coming year.

The Ethereum Deep Grants selection and our Rank #12 placement provide important momentum for this work. Community support through Gitcoin Grants Round 24 can help us sustain the open-source infrastructure, maintenance, and coordination efforts that benefit Ethereum and the broader decentralized ecosystem.

Support libp2p through Gitcoin Grants Round 24 and help strengthen the networking foundations of Ethereum.

Website: https://libp2p.tech/

Protocol risk management: https://libp2p.tech/protocol-risk-management

GitHub: https://github.com/libp2p/libp2p