What are Blockchain Nodes?
In the simplest of terms, a blockchain node is a computer connected to a blockchain network. It is a widely used term even outside of the blockchain since the technical definition is “a point in a network at which lines intersect or branch,” commonly used in a wide variety of telecommunication networks.
Different Types of Blockchain Nodes
The different types of blockchain nodes and their functions for varied blockchain layers are a pivotal part of understanding what is a blockchain node.
1. Full Nodes
The term ‘full node’ is often used interchangeably with the word ‘node,’ but both terms are quite dissimilar in their meanings. Full nodes support and provide security to the network through validating all blocks and blockchain transactions, which is why they are also referred to as ‘fully validating nodes.’ In Bitcoin, a full node is a Bitcoin network computer that performs the primary function of storing and synchronizing the data on a blockchain.
Full nodes are also essential to making decisions and voting on proposed changes to the blockchain network with respect to the specifications of the network. Only when 51% of all the full nodes are in agreement, a change is made in a blockchain.
2. Lightweight Nodes
These are also known as Simplified Payment Verification (SPV) nodes. Unlike most of the other nodes, they do not store the entire blockchain but instead store their own transactions and limited information about the blockchain, such as the block headers. Lightweight nodes are also not accountable for the security of the blockchain.