About this resource

The Ultimate DeFi Vault Map organizes the vault and risk curation ecosystem into six interconnected layers. Each layer is a separate page with a database of active protocols and an educational context explaining how that layer fits the broader system. They are ordered by how capital flows through the ecosystem: from the assets that enter the system, to the platforms that hold them, to the teams that manage risk, to the infrastructure that keeps everything running.

Layer	What it covers	Why it matters
Asset Issuers and Strategy Managers	Protocols that create onchain assets (stablecoins, LSTs, RWAs, synthetics) and teams that design structured yield strategies using those assets	They determine which assets enter the system and how those assets are put to work
Vault and Lending Platforms	The base-layer infrastructure where capital is deposited, strategies are executed, and credit markets operate	Every yield strategy ultimately runs on top of a vault or lending platform
Risk Curators	Specialist teams that configure vault parameters: collateral lists, loan-to-value ratios, oracle selection, and capital allocation	They are the risk management layer between raw infrastructure and depositor capital
Infrastructure Providers	Oracles, bridges, automation networks, analytics tools, and protocol standards	They supply the data and execution layer that vaults and curators depend on to function safely
Liquidity and Capital Providers	Retail depositors, DAOs, institutional capital managers, and market makers who supply capital to the system	Without capital, every other layer is structurally inert
Yield Aggregators	Protocols that pool deposits and automatically route capital across vaults and lending markets to optimize net yield	They sit above the vault layer and act as distribution and optimization channels for curated strategies

Each category page includes a searchable and filterable database of protocols, along with an educational context explaining how that layer works and how it connects to the others.