> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.beaconcha.in/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Estimate Queue Wait Times
> Estimate validator activation and exit times from queue lengths and churn rates
## Overview
Every deposit and exit waits in a queue before it takes effect. This guide shows how to read the network queue statistics, estimate how long a new deposit or exit will wait, and get individual ETAs for specific validators — so you can give customers accurate timelines and plan operations.
**API Endpoint:** This guide uses `/api/v2/ethereum/queues` for network-wide queue statistics and estimated wait times. For per-validator ETAs, see [Per-Validator ETAs](#per-validator-etas) below.
***
## Why Track Wait Times?
Understand how long new deposits will take to activate based on current queue length.
Provide accurate ETAs to staking customers for deposits and withdrawals.
Monitor queue lengths to understand overall network staking demand.
Plan validator exits based on current exit queue processing rate.
***
## Network Queue Statistics
Get overall network queue lengths and processing rates:
```bash theme={null}
curl --request POST \
--url https://beaconcha.in/api/v2/ethereum/queues \
--header 'Authorization: Bearer ' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--header 'Accept: application/vnd.beaconcha.in.v2.1+json' \
--data '{"chain": "mainnet"}'
```
### Response
```json theme={null}
{
"data": {
"deposit_queue": {
"deposit_count": 1184,
"deposit_balance": "37888000000000000000000",
"topup_count": 243,
"topup_balance": "1850000000000000000000",
"estimated_processed_at": {
"epoch": 454155,
"timestamp": 1781099520
},
"churn": {
"amount": "256000000000000000000",
"interval_seconds": 384
}
},
"exit_queue": {
"count": 420,
"balance": "13440000000000000000000",
"estimated_processed_at": {
"epoch": 454053,
"timestamp": 1781060352
},
"churn": {
"amount": "256000000000000000000",
"interval_seconds": 384
}
},
"manual_withdrawal_queue": {
"count": 310,
"balance": "5120000000000000000000",
"estimated_processed_at": {
"epoch": 454210,
"timestamp": 1781120640
}
},
"withdrawal_sweep": {
"estimated_sweep_delay": 777600,
"last_swept_validator_index": 1284503
},
"consolidation_queue": {
"count": 18,
"balance": "1152000000000000000000",
"estimated_processed_at": {
"epoch": 454060,
"timestamp": 1781063040
},
"churn": {
"amount": "256000000000000000000",
"interval_seconds": 384
}
},
"compounding_switch_queue": {
"count": 25,
"estimated_processed_at": {
"epoch": 454048,
"timestamp": 1781058432
},
"churn": {
"amount": "256000000000000000000",
"interval_seconds": 384
}
},
"finality": "not_finalized"
}
}
```
***
## Response Fields
### Deposit Queue
| Field | Description |
| -------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `deposit_queue.deposit_count` | Number of new validator deposits waiting (excludes top-ups) |
| `deposit_queue.deposit_balance` | Total ETH of new validator deposits, in wei |
| `deposit_queue.topup_count` | Number of top-up deposits waiting |
| `deposit_queue.topup_balance` | Total ETH of top-ups, in wei |
| `deposit_queue.estimated_processed_at` | Epoch and Unix timestamp when the entire deposit queue will be processed |
| `deposit_queue.churn` | Balance the protocol can process per interval (`amount` in wei per `interval_seconds`) |
### Exit Queue
| Field | Description |
| ----------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `exit_queue.count` | Number of validators waiting to exit |
| `exit_queue.balance` | Total ETH waiting to exit, in wei |
| `exit_queue.estimated_processed_at` | Epoch and Unix timestamp when the entire exit queue will be processed |
| `exit_queue.churn` | Balance the protocol can process per interval (`amount` in wei per `interval_seconds`) |
### Manual Withdrawal Queue
| Field | Description |
| ------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `manual_withdrawal_queue.count` | Pending withdrawal requests (partial withdrawals and exits triggered via withdrawal request) |
| `manual_withdrawal_queue.balance` | Total ETH in pending manual withdrawals, in wei |
| `manual_withdrawal_queue.estimated_processed_at` | Epoch and Unix timestamp when the last manual withdrawal will be completed |
### Withdrawal Sweep
| Field | Description |
| --------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `withdrawal_sweep.estimated_sweep_delay` | Estimated maximum seconds for the sweep to complete a full rotation |
| `withdrawal_sweep.last_swept_validator_index` | Current position of the sweep clock |
**Sweep Delay:** After becoming eligible for withdrawal, validators may wait up to \~10 days for the automatic sweep to process their balance. The sweep cycles through all validators sequentially.
The response also includes a `consolidation_queue` and a `compounding_switch_queue` for validators consolidating stake or switching to compounding credentials — these operations keep the ETH staked.
***
## Estimating a Wait Time
`estimated_processed_at` tells you when the **last item currently in the queue** will be processed. A deposit or exit submitted *now* joins right behind it, so the same value doubles as the queue-join ETA:
```
wait ≈ queue balance / churn.amount × churn.interval_seconds
```
With the example numbers above, a new deposit waits:
```
(37,888 + 1,850) ETH ÷ 256 ETH per epoch ≈ 155 epochs × 384 s ≈ 16.6 hours
```
and a new exit waits `13,440 ÷ 256 ≈ 53 epochs ≈ 5.6 hours`.
**Full exits take longer than the exit queue.** After leaving the active set, the balance waits through the withdrawal eligibility delay (\~27 hours) and the withdrawal sweep (`withdrawal_sweep.estimated_sweep_delay`) before it is credited. See [Staking Inflows & Outflows](/use-cases/staking-inflows-outflows) for the full redemption timeline.
***
## Per-Validator ETAs
For individual validators — including ones still in the deposit queue with no index yet — query the per-validator overview:
```bash theme={null}
curl --request POST \
--url https://beaconcha.in/api/v2/ethereum/validators/queues \
--header 'Authorization: Bearer ' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--data '
{
"chain": "mainnet",
"validator": {
"validator_identifiers": ["0x93247f22...09abcaf5", 1284503]
},
"page_size": 10
}
'
```
Each entry returns the validator's own `estimated_processed_at` per queue, plus min/max sweep estimates for exiting validators. Queues the validator is not part of are `null`, and `index` is `null` until activation. See [Staking Inflows & Outflows](/use-cases/staking-inflows-outflows#per-validator-tracking) for a full response example.
***
## Best Practices
Queue lengths change as validators enter and exit. Poll every 1-4 hours for accurate estimates.
Queue processing speed varies with network conditions. Provide time ranges, not exact times.
The churn rate determines how fast queues are processed. Track it to understand network capacity.
***
## Related Resources
* [Introduction](/use-cases/queue-tracking) — Overview of the Queue APIs and the staking queues
* [Staking Inflows & Outflows](/use-cases/staking-inflows-outflows) — Measure pending ETH in transit
* [Understanding Validator Queues](/faqs/understanding-validator-queues) — How the queues work at the protocol level
* [How Withdrawals Work](/faqs/how-withdrawals-work) — Eligibility delay and the withdrawal sweep
* [Notifications](/notifications-monitoring/notifications) — Set up alerts
For detailed API specifications, see the **Queues** section in the V2 API Docs sidebar.