StETH is a derivative of ETH that is staked on Lido. Lido is a decentralized protocol allowing users to stake ETH and participate in the consensus mechanism of Ethereum. Staking helps to secure the Ethereum network under a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism, which is more energy-efficient and scalable. Lido is a liquid staking solution for Ethereum backed by several industry-leading staking providers. Its main advantage is that it enables participating in Ethereum’s PoS consensus mechanism without a minimum stake. Staking on Ethereum has some drawbacks, such as requiring a minimum of 32 ETH to stake, locking up tokens for an indefinite period of time until withdrawals are enabled during the Shapella upgrade, and exposing users to slashing risks if validators misbehave or go offline.