Lighter
AuditedVerifiedTrendingLighter is a fully on-chain ZK-rollup perpetual DEX on Ethereum that proves every order match, liquidation and funding payment with custom Plonky2 zero-knowledge circuits, with a Desert escape-hatch for trustless exit.
Active Risk Alerts
Live signals detected by Sentinel monitors across all five risk classes.
Unlock alert details with Pro
See each alert's affected component, root-cause analysis, and recommended action. Pro members get the full risk breakdown for every protocol.
Score history
This rating is re-checked every month. A point is recorded for every check, so a flat line means we looked and nothing moved. Hover anywhere on the chart to see what moved that month, and by how much.
The Problem
Centralized perp exchanges dominate derivatives trading because existing on-chain perp DEXes either rely on validator/social consensus for fairness or sacrifice settlement guarantees for throughput, leaving traders unable to cryptographically verify that matches and liquidations are correct.
The Solution
Lighter runs a zk-rollup perp DEX where every match, funding payment and liquidation is proven with custom Plonky2 circuits and verified on Ethereum — and where users have a Desert escape-hatch circuit that lets them exit directly to L1 if the sequencer stalls.
Why it Matters
Cryptographic verifiability of every trade (not validator quorum or oracle override), an escape-hatch built into the circuit set, and aggressive fee-funded LIT buybacks — competing with Hyperliquid on trust-minimization rather than raw throughput.
Protocol Metrics
Related Research
View allFrequently asked questions about Lighter
What is Lighter?+
Lighter is a DEX protocol operating on Lighter, Ethereum. Lighter is a fully on-chain ZK-rollup perpetual DEX on Ethereum that proves every order match, liquidation and funding payment with custom Plonky2 zero-knowledge circuits, with a Desert escape-hatch for trustless exit.
How does Lighter work?+
Lighter runs a zk-rollup perp DEX where every match, funding payment and liquidation is proven with custom Plonky2 circuits and verified on Ethereum — and where users have a Desert escape-hatch circuit that lets them exit directly to L1 if the sequencer stalls.
Is Lighter safe?+
DeFi Sentinel rates Lighter A with a safety score of 78/100, indicating low-to-moderate risk. The score reflects five risk dimensions: smart contract & technical risk, economic design & market risk, governance & centralization, sustainability & competitive position, and reputation & social trust. Lighter has 7 audits on record. DeFi Sentinel's analysis flagged 1 high, 5 medium, 4 low risk alerts across Smart Contract & Technical Risk, Economic Design & Market Risk, Governance & Centralization and Sustainability & Competitive Position. As with all DeFi protocols, residual risk remains and users should review the full risk breakdown before depositing.
What is the safety score of Lighter?+
Lighter has a DeFi Sentinel safety score of 78/100 (rating A), last updated October 13, 2026. The score is computed across smart contract & technical risk (30%), economic design & market risk (25%), governance & centralization (20%), sustainability & competitive position (15%), and reputation & social trust (10%).
Which chains does Lighter support?+
Lighter is deployed on Lighter, Ethereum.
Has Lighter been audited?+
Yes. Lighter has 7 audit reports on record from firms including zkSecurity, Block, Block & Delta. Audit reports and dates are linked under the Resources tab on this page.