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The definition of a node may vary according to the context. When it comes to computer or telecommunication networks, nodes may act either as a redistribution point or as a communication endpoint. Usually, a node consists of a physical network device, but there are some cases where virtual nodes are used.
A network node is a point where a message can be created, received, or transmitted. Hereby we will discuss the different types of Bitcoin nodes: full nodes, supernodes, miner nodes, and SPV clients.
Bitcoin nodes
Diving into the context of blockchains – which are designed as distributed systems – the network of computer nodes is what makes it possible for Bitcoin to be used as a decentralized peer-to-peer (P2P) digital currency. As such, it is censorship-resistant by design and doesn’t require a middle-man to be transacted from user to user (no matter how distant they are in the world).
Therefore, blockchain nodes are responsible for acting as a communication point that may perform different functions. Any computer or device that connects to the Bitcoin interface may be considered as a node in the sense that they communicate somehow with each other. These nodes are also able to transmit information about transactions and blocks within the distributed network of computers by using the Bitcoin peer-to-peer protocol. However, each computer node is defined according to its particular functions, so there are different types of Bitcoin nodes.
Full nodes
Full nodes are the ones that really support and provide security to Bitcoin, and they are indispensable to the network. These nodes may also be referred to as fully validating nodes as they engage in the process of verifying transactions and blocks against the system’s consensus rules. Also, full nodes are able to relay new transactions and blocks to the blockchain.
Usually, a full node downloads a copy of the Bitcoin blockchain with every block and transaction, but this is not a requirement to be considered a full node (a reduced copy of the blockchain may be used instead).
A full Bitcoin node can be established through different software implementations, but the most used and popular one is the Bitcoin Core. These are the minimum requirements to run a Bitcoin Core full node:
Desktop or laptop with a recent version of Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux.
200GB of free disk space.
2GB of memory (RAM).
High-speed internet connection with upload speeds of at least 50 kB/s.
An unmetered connection or a connection with high upload limits. Online full nodes may reach or exceed an upload usage of 200 GB/month and a download usage of 20 GB/month. You will also need to download ~200GB when you first start your full node.
Your full node should run at least 6 hours a day. Even better if you run it continuously (24/7).
Many volunteer organizations and users are running full Bitcoin nodes as a way to help the Bitcoin ecosystem. As of 2018, there are roughly 9,700 public nodes running on the Bitcoin network. Note that this number only includes the public nodes, which refer to the listening Bitcoin nodes that are visible and accessible (aka. as listening nodes).
Besides the public nodes, there are many other hidden nodes which are not visible (non-listening nodes). These nodes are usually operating behind a firewall, through hidden protocols like Tor, or simply because they were configured to not listen for connections.