Physical aspects of gravastar in Rastall theory with the Durgapal-IV metric potential

The foundational edifice of modern gravitational physics has proven remarkably successful across a vast range of phenomena yet rests on the strict conservation postulate, which leaves conceptual space for broader formulations. Rastall gravity introduces such an extension by permitting the divergence of the stress–energy tensor to couple directly with curvature, with the Rastall parameter quantifying deviations from Einstein’s theory and reshaping the dialogue between matter and geometry. Within this framework, gravastars, conceived as consistent alternatives to black holes, provide a fertile ground to examine the implications of modified gravitational dynamics. In this work, three gravastar configurations are constructed using the temporal component of the Durgapal-IV metric potential, which enables a coherent description of the thin shell that separates a repulsive interior from an exterior Schwarzschild de Sitter spacetime. The physical characteristics of the models are examined through entropy, energy density and proper length, while stability considerations are evaluated using the equation of state parameter together with the surface redshift. The results reveal that equilibrium persists for [Formula: see text], although parts of this interval reduce structural efficiency. Overall, the study demonstrates the fine dependence of gravastar stability on the Rastall parameter and underscores the intricate link between matter distributions and spacetime curvature in extended models of gravity.