Getting Started with Northstake and the SVM

Northstake's Staking Vault Manager (SVM) is a single interface for creating and operating Lido v3 staking vaults (stVaults) — staking ETH, minting stETH, running validators, and managing withdrawals across many vaults at once, from one UI and one API.

The standard SVM is built for stakers. SVM Pro adds the tooling that providers — node operators, custodians, and exchanges — need to run vaults at scale. Pro-only behaviour is flagged with a ⚠️ Pro only callout on the pages where it differs.

New to Lido v3? Start with the Lido v3 primer — five minutes that make everything else click.

• ---

  Choose your path

  If you want to…	Start here
  Understand the model before touching anything	Lido v3 primer → The Staking Vault Manager
  Stake ETH by creating your first vault and validator	Create your first vault → Create your first validator
  Run vaults as a provider (operator, custodian, exchange)	SVM vs SVM Pro → Create a validator as an operator (PRO)
  Integrate programmatically via the API	API Reference → Subscribe to webhooks
  Set up a team to share vaults	Organization accounts

  ---

  Learn the foundations

  The concepts every vault is built on. Read these once and the rest of the docs follow.

  • Staking vaults — dedicated vs pool vaults, and the contracts behind each.
  • Staking and the PDG flow — how 32 ETH gets onto a validator.
  • Staking withdrawals — leaving the beacon chain, then leaving the vault.
  • Roles and permissions — the two-party owner / node-operator model.
  • Fees — how node-operator and protocol fees are charged and settled.
    → Full list in Concepts.

  Get something done

  Problem-oriented recipes with prerequisites, steps, and verification.

  • Add a stVault to your SVM
  • Common stVault operations — fund, mint, burn, withdraw
  • Unstake a validator
  • Rebalance a vault
  • Assign and revoke roles
  • Subscribe to webhooks
    → Full list in Guides.

  Look something up

  Fast, lookup-style reference.

  • Glossary — every term used across these docs
  • Role permissions matrix — operation → required role
  • Webhook event catalog — every event and its payload
  • Error codes
  • Supported staking providers
  • Northstake address list
    → Full list in Reference.

  ---

  Build with the API

  Everything in the SVM is available through one REST API. Authenticate, link a wallet, create and fund vaults, drive the validator lifecycle, and receive events through webhooks instead of polling.

  • API Reference — full endpoint reference and Swagger explorer.
  • Subscribe to webhooks — push vault and validator events into your own systems.
  • Organization accounts — scope API keys to your team.