> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://asteria.gitbook.io/asteria/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://asteria.gitbook.io/asteria/asteria-finance-lab/introduction.md).
# Introduction
Asteria Finance Lab is aiming to build the infrastructure standard and develop an ecosystem of option products in DeFi.
Asteria ecosystem is a complex interweb of strategies, standards, and layers working towards supplementing options-based DeFi.
At the **Protocol Layer**, three key components define Asteria - American/European **Option** **Pricing, Trading**, and **Hedging**. These functionality are the foundation for the entire Asteria product line, and liquidity contributors.
At **Template Layer**, the Asteria team is building more complex option-based structures like straddles, exotic options, barrier options, compound options, chooser options, Asian options, lookback options, etc. Option traders can use them to enrich their modeling expression on the market; while other DeFi legos like issuance protocols can call Asteria options APIs directly for underlying logics which saves them resources on complicated options concept implementation and gives more time to focus on their own product logics.
At the **Application** and **Incubation Layer**, Asteria is nurturing a new DeFi ecosystem focused on these principles:
1. Research of underlying financial options-based theories and technology
2. Building novel in-house options based products
3. Working with the most enterprising DeFi projects to create a diverse ecosystem
Overall, 3 layers construct the entire Asteria options universe in DeFi. Each layer caters to different users and applications, and protocols (to cater to their own user base of traders, investors, etc) in DeFi.
**Links:**
**Website**:
**Twitter**:
**Medium**:
**Telegram**:
---
# Agent Instructions
This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com.
## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.
Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:
```
GET https://asteria.gitbook.io/asteria/asteria-finance-lab/introduction.md?ask=
```
The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.
Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.