Understanding Bitcoin Nodes, Its Types, Functions and Benefits.

[Fivestar4everMVP]

The underlying technology of bitcoin is the Nodes, they serve or play very crucial role in the maintaining the security and integrity of the bitcoin blockchain, so defining Nodes in Bitcoin context, we can say that they are very important and essential computers that work together to form the Bitcoin network.

Many of us are investing and hodling bitcoin, but do not understand what Bitcoin nodes are, or how they operate or work.

In this thread, we will be looking at the types of Bitcoin Nodes, and their functions/nuances.

TYPES OF NODES

1. FULL NODES.
This is said or referred to as the bulwark of the Bitcoin network. Full nodes is responsible for the downloading of the entire history of all Bitcoin transactions and checks all Bitcoin transactions in each new block against the Bitcoin consensus rule.

These rules are the pillar and fundamental principles that ensure that every single transaction on the Bitcoin blockchain is valid, and also ensure that, and prevents bitcoin double-spend; that is, it makes sure that bitcoins are spent twice.

We can refer to full nodes as the gold standard for bitcoin network security and verification.

2. LIGHTWEIGHT OR SPV NODES.
SPV means - Simplified payment verification.
SPV nodes only download the block headers, and rely on full nodes for transaction verification.

This is the node that strike the balance between efficiency and security, it is the SPV nodes that makes Bitcoin accessible without the heavyweight requirements of running a full node.

3. THE NINING NODES.
These are also full nodes, or part of it, that also work to add new blocks to the bitcoin blockchain.

Mining nodes engage in the proof-of-work process which competes for the chance to add the next block, and thereby, receive the block reward.

It will be interesting to know that, while all mining nodes are full nodes, not all full nodes are mining nodes as well.

4. PRUNED NODES.
A pruned node engages in storing only part of the blockchain.

Pruned nodes download the full blockchain like a full node does, but then deletes older blockchain data that is no longer relevant or needed.

This node helps in efficiently supporting the network without having to store the entire bitcoin blockchain data.

FUNCTIONS OF NODES

1. TRANSACTION VERIFICATION.
Nodes are responsible for checking transactions for validity. As already said before, a transaction must follow certain rules, and one of such rules is, having a proper data structure and signatures, and also not exceeding the required size.

2. BLOCK VERIFICATION.
Nodes are responsible for verifying new blocks through solving a cryptographic puzzle, which we all, or some of us know as proof-of-work, to ensure that they haven't been tampered with.
Once a block is verified, it's added to the blockchain.

3. NETWORK CONSENSUS.
Nodes are responsible for enforcing the network consensus rules, if for any reason, a block doesn't comply with the rules, such block is utterly rejected by the network.

This consensus mechanism or rules is very fundamental and essential for the decentralization or decentralized nature of bitcoin, this ensures that no single entity has control over the currency.

4. RELAY TRANSACTIONS.
Nodes are also responsible for passing information along or across the network. Whenever a new transaction or block is created, nodes send this to nearby nodes, which then propagate or spread it across the network.

WHY NODES REALLY MATTER

1. DECENTRALIZATION.
Nodes are the major contributor to the entire decentralization of the bitcoin network. With nodes spread across the globe, it's virtually impossible for a single entity to gain control over the bitcoin network.

2. SECURITY.
Nodes contribute significantly to the security of the bitcoin network, the more the nodes are, the more secure the network is.
Like i believe some of us know, if we talk about 51% attack, the more or larger the number of nodes, the higher the difficulty for an attacker to successfully carry out a 51% attack on the network, which we can in short term, define as an entity controlling the majority of the mining power, which they can also use to influence the blockchain.

3. TRUSTLESSNESS.
By running a node, you don't have to trust a third party to verify transactions for you, you can independently verify the entire blockchain.

RUNNING A NODE.

For you to run a full node, you will have to download the Bitcoin software, and also download the entire history of all bitcoin transactions.
Doing this can be resource-intensive, very expensive as it requires substantial storage space and bandwidth.

Running a node contributes to the trustless nature of bitcoin, allowing users to independently verify transactions without relying on any central authority.

For true believers in Bitcoin, running a full node is the epitome of commitment to the ideology of decentralization, and also the principles set forth by Satoshi Nakamoto himself.

Most part of the information shared above, is born out of personal research, which lead me to this Article, where most of the information here is from.

Please feel free to chip in your contribution, let's learn together.

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[ImThour]

Great thread overall, It's a must-understand by every user indulged in Bitcoin to understand the Nodes. I have never run my full node however next year, I will finally give it a go.
It might take some resources however that allow me to verify my transactions independently, that is the biggest W ever. And truly, it's working on the principle of Satoshi, decentralization.

[tbct_mt2]

3. THE NINING NODES.

It's Mining nodes.

In Mastering Bitcoin book, it has a chapter for Bitcoin nodes and roles.
Chapter 8, The Bitcoin Network

Cryptocurrency Client Categorization (Full node, Pruned node, SPV node,...)

Want to run a Bitcoin Core full node, check this guide for cheap cost.
[Guide] How to run a Bitcoin Core full node for under 50 bucks!

[franky1]

3. THE NINING NODES.

It's Mining nodes.

its (mining) POOL nodes.. no one solo mines anymore
the pool nodes collate transactions into blocks but the pool nodes do not "mine", they MANAGE(communicate remotely) to other devices that other people own called asics. its the asics that do the mining now. not the pool node.. asics do not have node software in them. they just mine the hash for the collated block the POOL submits, hoping to solve a blockhash for the pool, so the pool can then broadcast a solved block to the network

1. FULL NODES.
This is said or referred to as the bulwark of the Bitcoin network. Full nodes is responsible for the downloading of the entire history of all Bitcoin transactions and checks all Bitcoin transactions in each new block against the Bitcoin consensus rule.

These rules are the pillar and fundamental principles that ensure that every single transaction on the Bitcoin blockchain is valid, and also ensure that, and prevents bitcoin double-spend; that is, it makes sure that bitcoins are spent twice.

We can refer to full nodes as the gold standard for bitcoin network security and verification.

4. PRUNED NODES.
A pruned node engages in storing only part of the blockchain.

Pruned nodes download the full blockchain like a full node does, but then deletes older blockchain data that is no longer relevant or needed.

This node helps in efficiently supporting the network without having to store the entire bitcoin blockchain data.

not all true

pruned nodes are not like fullnodes. by not storing the blockchain data. they cannot operate as 'seeder' for the blockchain data for new full nodes wanting to sync the blockchain. pruned nodes when operational only operate as 'live data' relay. not decentralisated blockchain providers

the other insecurity of pruned nodes is by having too many of them. makes it more of a burden on the full nodes. because new full nodes are having to find other full nodes. thus the established full nodes get leeched more by pruned nodes and new nodes wishing to sync

EG if there were(demo) 100k full nodes 2015 but now 15k full 85k pruned
85K are leaching off the 15k rather than 1:1 data sharing between each other. this then forms a topology of full nodes being more centralised at the top of the network. with pruned nodes as a secondary step down. the full nodes being leeched more leads to more centralisation

thus they are not efficiently supporting the network. they actually dont support the network efficiently. they cause more bottlenecks and strangling of data in a more centralised way

its "efficient" only for that users own computer hardware.. but inefficiently supporting the network
..
there is also another class of nodes..
outdated nodes

very old nodes dont do full verification of the data they get downstreamed from full nodes,, data they dont understand. or block data with 'witness' stripped away if the nodes are even older.
the nodes blindly accepting data without verification can then mean their peers can then get misinformation too if they too are outdatad and the data has been abused/edited
those older nodes that received stripped blocks cant then relay new tx formats nor full block data to new full nodes. they become third class nodes of the topology

again diluting the potential amount of nodes that have full decentralised fully validated and archived blockchain

[DapanasFruit]

Good to get educated on the many details surrounding Bitcoin and how they are functioning to make the whole system alive and kicking. I have to admit that am not so familiar with nodes and how important are they for Bitcoin. As a holder of BTC, maybe it is time that we start to get familiar with the technical side as we are getting more involved with cryptocurrency. Can we say then that nodes are at the heart and center of Bitcoin and makes the whole thing decentralized?

[hosseinimr93]

Pruned nodes download the full blockchain like a full node does, but then deletes older blockchain data that is no longer relevant or needed.

Prune nodes store the entire UTXO set as well.

Nodes are responsible for checking transactions for validity.

It may worth mentioning that full nodes and prune nodes validate transactions, but SPV nodes don't do that.

Nodes are responsible for verifying new blocks through solving a cryptographic puzzle, which we all, or some of us know as proof-of-work, to ensure that they haven't been tampered with.

Miners solve the proof of work problem.

Like i believe some of us know, if we talk about 51% attack, the more or larger the number of nodes, the higher the difficulty for an attacker to successfully carry out a 51% attack on the network

Number of nodes has nothing to do with the total hash power and difficulty. What makes the attack difficult is the big total hash power, not the big number of nodes.

[Aanuoluwatofunmi]

Thanks for these informations and education on bitcoin nodes, it's not something funny that some people don't understand there's differences in nodes from their kinds, nodes are the basic carrier of every bitcoin transactions because they are stored on the nodes after being confirmed, these nodes cannot be manipulated or change by any means, that is why they are trusted with their security except an entry conforms with their protocols.

[pooya87]

The image looks misleading to me because if it is supposed to represent the Bitcoin network it has to have no kind of hierarchy since it is a Peer to Peer network and Peers are all equal. If the artiest meant to represent "syncing" where each cube represents the size of the chain they have already downloaded, I have to say that's not the first thought that pops into my head and there are too many "unsynced" nodes which is not realistic

3. THE NINING NODES.
These are also full nodes, or part of it, that also work to add new blocks to the bitcoin blockchain.

Considering that the node itself doesn't do anything extra compared to a full node, I wouldn't put this into a separate category.
This is my categorization by the way: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5229765.0

[Fivestar4everMVP]

Good to get educated on the many details surrounding Bitcoin and how they are functioning to make the whole system alive and kicking. I have to admit that am not so familiar with nodes and how important are they for Bitcoin. As a holder of BTC, maybe it is time that we start to get familiar with the technical side as we are getting more involved with cryptocurrency. Can we say then that nodes are at the heart and center of Bitcoin and makes the whole thing decentralized?

Yeah, you are right, from what I've leant so far, and still learning, nodes are indeed the heart and center of the bitcoin network, and the idea of decentralization is very much centered on it.

I wasn't so familiar with all this too, Infact, nothing bores me like studying the technical side of bitcoin, but honestly, this is something we all that are here must try to learn how they work, if we must be true pioneers, and as well be able to teach the generation coming through us  .

The image looks misleading to me because if it is supposed to represent the Bitcoin network it has to have no kind of hierarchy since it is a Peer to Peer network and Peers are all equal. If the artiest meant to represent "syncing" where each cube represents the size of the chain they have already downloaded, I have to say that's not the first thought that pops into my head and there are too many "unsynced" nodes which is not realistic

Lolz, well, I honestly do not give any importance to the image, though i understand it is meant to showcase the inter-connectivity between nodes, that is, like how the entire bitcoin network is connected to each other.

Not the reason I used it though, only did because it was used in my source, and also to give the thread a more professional look and feel.

3. THE NINING NODES.
These are also full nodes, or part of it, that also work to add new blocks to the bitcoin blockchain.

Considering that the node itself doesn't do anything extra compared to a full node, I wouldn't put this into a separate category.
This is my categorization by the way: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5229765.0
[/quote
Important threads like this get buried in the background so fast due to inactivity caused by lack of discussion on the thread, makes me wonder why most users don't give attention or want to contribute to highly educating threads as the one you shared, maybe because several of us are very limited when it comes to the technical side of bitcoin, but how can we learn it if we don't discuss it? And possibly get practical with it from time to time?  .
Thanks for sharing by the way.

[mvdheuvel1983]

Perfect explanation. I have been looking to understand nodes better and this is one of the best threads on nodes that is very simplified that I have read. At least it gives me an understanding and the background to dig deep into it. A question I would like to ask is, how do I run a node because I have seen places where people run virtual nodes. Between virtual nodes and the one you have mentioned where I have to download the software, which would you advise that someone who wants to start out with it do?

[Zaguru12]

A question I would like to ask is, how do I run a node because I have seen places where people run virtual nodes. Between virtual nodes and the one you have mentioned where I have to download the software, which would you advise that someone who wants to start out with it do?

Here is a thread on how you can run your own full node how to run bitcoin core full node for under 50 bucks by n0nce.  I don’t understand what you mean by virtual node but the other type of running a node aside the full node (node which can also be pruned as OP stated above) is the lightweight node which doesn’t requires you to download the entire blockchain but you rely on other full nodes. The best is to run your own full node which is explained in the link I included. Or you run a prune node if you do not have enough disk space to store the entire blockchain. The prune node will download entire blockchain first and then store blocks base on the space of disk specified. You can run a prune node by following this guide by LoyceV

[zoLa#7]

Great thread overall, It's a must-understand by every user indulged in Bitcoin to understand the Nodes. I have never run my full node however next year, I will finally give it a go.
It might take some resources however that allow me to verify my transactions independently, that is the biggest W ever. And truly, it's working on the principle of Satoshi, decentralization.

I am running one, started 1 month ago. Didn't cost much, roughly 300$. Bought raspberry pi4, and set everything alone. You can refer to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYUfXWlAleA&list=PLCRbH-IWlcW0KP8DxyWWrqahGafZyV2HR series of videos for detailed guide how to do it.