What is Celestia? How It Works & Where to Use It

Overview

Celestia at a glance.

Celestia launched its mainnet in 2023 as a modular blockchain focused on data availability. Rather than executing smart contracts itself, it provides two services, consensus and data availability, that other chains and rollups can build on. It helped popularize the idea of separating a blockchain into modular layers.

Total value locked (DeFi)

n/a

Value locked in DeFi protocols on Celestia. Updated Jun 2, 2026. Source: DefiLlama.

Native token

TIA

Used for fees and securing the network. See the live TIA price.

How it works

How Celestia works.

Celestia uses a Proof of Stake model with Tendermint Byzantine Fault Tolerant consensus, where validators stake TIA to order blocks. Its distinctive feature is data availability sampling, which lets light nodes verify that the data behind a block was actually published by checking small random samples, rather than downloading the entire block.

Consensus: Proof of Stake with Tendermint BFT

Celestia uses a Proof of Stake model with Tendermint Byzantine Fault Tolerant consensus, where validators stake TIA to order blocks. Its distinctive feature is data availability sampling, which lets light nodes verify that the data behind a block was actually published by checking small random samples, rather than downloading the entire block.

Data availability layer

Celestia's job is to order transactions and guarantee that their data is available. It leaves execution, the running of smart contracts, to the rollups that build on top of it.

Modular blockchain design

Celestia separates the functions a blockchain performs into distinct layers. This modular approach lets rollups outsource consensus and data availability while handling their own execution.

Data availability sampling

Light nodes verify that block data was published by downloading small random samples instead of the whole block, which lets the network scale data capacity as more nodes join.

TIA token

TIA is used to pay for data availability, where rollups buy blob space to post their data, and for staking that secures the network.

Ecosystem & usage

What Celestia is used for.

Celestia is used as infrastructure for rollups and modular chains, which post their transaction data to it for availability. It does not host native DeFi the way a smart-contract Layer 1 does; its role is data availability rather than running applications directly.

Data availability for rollups

Rollups and modular chains post their transaction data to Celestia so anyone can verify and reconstruct their state.

Sovereign rollups

Developers launch sovereign rollups that use Celestia for consensus and data availability while keeping their own execution rules.

Modular stacks

Rollup frameworks integrate Celestia as a data availability option, letting builders mix and match layers.

Staking

TIA holders stake to secure the network and can delegate to validators.

In the Zypto App

Hold, swap and spend TIA.

Celestia is integrated in the Zypto App. Hold TIA in self-custody, swap it to any supported asset, and use it across Zypto’s features.

Hold TIA in Zypto How to buy TIA

Be the reason Celestia ships next.

Celestia isn’t in the Zypto App yet. Post the request to your followers, chains with the most demand get prioritised.

Request on X

FAQ

Common questions.

What is Celestia?

Celestia is a modular data availability network that launched in 2023. It provides consensus and data availability for rollups and other chains, but it does not run smart contracts itself.

Why does Celestia have little DeFi?

Celestia is data availability infrastructure, not a smart-contract Layer 1. Applications run on the rollups that build on top of Celestia, so the network itself is not where DeFi protocols are deployed.

What is data availability sampling?

Data availability sampling lets light nodes confirm that the data behind a block was published by checking small random samples instead of downloading the full block. This is how Celestia can scale data capacity as more nodes participate.

What is TIA used for?

TIA is the native token. Rollups pay TIA to post their data as blobs on Celestia, and validators stake TIA to secure the network.

Can I hold TIA in the Zypto App?

Not yet. TIA isn't in the Zypto App at the moment. You can hold it in any self-custodial wallet, and you can ask us to add Celestia using the "Request Celestia" button above.

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