Lighthouse vs Teku: Consensus Clients for AVS Operators

Rust-based speed: Written in Rust for high performance and memory safety. Benchmarks often show lower latency in block and attestation propagation, crucial for maximizing rewards. This matters for operators prioritizing minimizing missed attestations and running on high-spec hardware.

Batteries-included CLI: Known for its comprehensive, well-documented command-line interface. Features like the validator manager and slasher protection are built-in, reducing dependency on external monitoring tools. This matters for solo stakers or smaller teams seeking a low-operational-overhead setup.

Java/Kotlin foundation: Leverages the JVM ecosystem, offering strong performance on multi-core systems and deep integration with enterprise monitoring (JMX, Grafana). Its architecture cleanly separates beacon node and validator client. This matters for large institutions and teams with existing JVM expertise seeking auditability and granular control.

Rust-native speed and resource efficiency. Lighthouse is renowned for its low memory footprint (~2GB RAM at peak) and fast sync times (under 10 hours for a full sync). This results in lower operational costs on cloud infrastructure (e.g., AWS EC2, GCP). Its architecture is optimized for high-throughput environments where hardware resources are constrained.

Java-based reliability and mature tooling. Developed by ConsenSys, Teku leverages the JVM's stability and extensive monitoring ecosystem (e.g., JMX, Grafana dashboards). It's designed for mission-critical, high-availability deployments where predictable performance and deep observability are non-negotiable. Ideal for institutions with existing Java/Spring expertise.

Requires Rust/Systems proficiency. While efficient, optimizing and debugging Lighthouse requires familiarity with Rust and systems programming. The pool of operators with this expertise is smaller compared to Java/Python. This can increase the cost and time for advanced troubleshooting or custom integration work for AVS logic.

Higher baseline resource consumption. The JVM runtime introduces overhead, leading to a larger memory footprint (~4-8GB RAM) compared to Lighthouse. This increases cloud compute costs linearly with node count. For operators running hundreds of nodes, this resource tax can significantly impact operational margins.

Optimized for speed and resource efficiency: Written in Rust, Lighthouse consistently benchmarks with lower CPU/memory usage (often < 2GB RAM). This matters for cost-sensitive deployments and high-validator-count operations. It's the most widely used client, commanding ~40% of the network, which enhances its battle-tested security and reduces client diversity concerns.

Strong CLI and configuration clarity: Known for its straightforward setup and excellent documentation. The active Sigma Prime team provides rapid updates and has a proven track record in security auditing. This matters for teams prioritizing operational simplicity and wanting a client with a predictable, professional support channel.

Built for institutional-grade infrastructure: Written in Java, Teku integrates seamlessly with existing enterprise monitoring (JMX), logging (SLF4J), and DevOps toolchains. Its native support for external signers (Web3Signer) is a first-class feature. This matters for regulated entities, staking-as-a-service providers, and teams with mature Java/Kotlin expertise who need fine-grained control and audit trails.

Prysmatic Labs pedigree with MEV-boost focus: Developed by a core Ethereum team, Teku offers advanced features like early proposer protection and is optimized for MEV-boost workflows. It can run as a combined consensus/execution client or in split roles. This matters for solo stakers and AVS operators maximizing MEV revenue who require robust, specialized consensus logic.

Lighthouse (Rust) is leaner; Teku (Java) is more resource-intensive. Teku's JVM overhead typically requires 4-8GB+ of RAM, making it more expensive to run at scale. Choose Lighthouse for maximizing validator density per machine. Choose Teku if your operational budget accommodates higher resource costs for enterprise tooling benefits.

Lighthouse (Sigma Prime) is an independent security firm; Teku (Prysmatic Labs) is an Ethereum core dev team. This influences development priorities. Lighthouse focuses on client resilience and efficiency. Teku often leads on consensus-layer features and builder integration. Choose based on whether you value client diversity/robustness (Lighthouse) or deep protocol alignment (Teku).