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Blockchain technology has been around since 2008 when Satoshi Nakamoto
After Nakamoto released the Bitcoin white paper, it began to develop magnificently. During the period, Vitalik founded Ethereum and the rise of more well-known public chains. It has now become an important underlying technology in the encryption world.

At present, the value of global assets involved in blockchain technology has exceeded 1.4 trillion US dollars, involving millions of users. The data storage and verification behind it are very complex, and the "node" is the main role responsible for processing these "blocks".

This article will introduce to readers in detail what nodes are, their functions and types, and help you understand this important link in blockchain technology.

 What is a blockchain node?

Nodes are an important part of blockchain technology, responsible for maintaining and running the entire blockchain network, and participating in the creation of blocks, transaction verification, and network security maintenance.

Generally speaking, the more nodes there are and the more dispersed the network is, the more "decentralized" the blockchain is.

 Node functions

Nodes play a key role in blockchain technology. They are a fundamental part of the blockchain network and have a variety of important functions and responsibilities, including:

   Transaction verification: Nodes are responsible for verifying whether new transactions are valid and ensuring that transactions comply with the rules and protocols of the blockchain. Only verified transactions can be included in new blocks.

   Block creation: Responsible for creating new blocks and packaging verified transactions into new blocks.

   Consensus maintenance: Nodes participate in the consensus mechanism of the blockchain to ensure that all nodes reach consensus and ensure the security and consistency of the blockchain.

   Data propagation: Nodes propagate new transactions and blocks in the blockchain network to ensure that all nodes have the same data. This helps prevent data tampering or single node failure.

   Data storage: Nodes store data on the entire blockchain, including transaction history and block information, allowing users to query and verify transactions.

   Security provision: The security of the blockchain relies on the participation of multiple nodes, and attackers need to control multiple nodes to carry out attacks. The participation of nodes increases the security of the blockchain.

Nodes not only ensure the operation of the blockchain and maintain the security and reliability of data, but also promote decentralization.

Common node types

There are many different types of nodes in blockchain technology. Each node has specific functions and characteristics. The following are some common types:

1. Full Node:

   Function: Full nodes are complete nodes in the blockchain network that download, verify and store data for the entire blockchain.

   Features: Full nodes have the highest data security and independence, they can independently verify every transaction and block, and provide the highest degree of decentralization.

   Purpose: Full nodes are typically operated by miners, developers, or users concerned about security, and are used to support the security and integrity of the blockchain.

2. Lightweight Node:

   Function: The lightweight node only downloads the Blockheader and summary information of the specific transaction without downloading the complete blockchain data.

  Features: Lightweight nodes synchronize blockchain data relatively quickly, but they cannot verify all transactions independently and need to rely on data from full nodes or super nodes.

   Purpose: Some mobile wallets and browser plug-ins use lightweight nodes to provide users with a faster experience.

3. Super Node:

   Function: Super nodes are high-performance nodes in the blockchain network. They are usually located in data centers with faster hardware and broadband.

   Features: Super nodes are usually used to support fast transaction processing and network performance optimization, and provide services to other nodes.

   Purpose: Some blockchain networks use super nodes to ensure efficient blockchain operations, especially in high traffic situations.

 Summarize

Nodes are an important foundation for the blockchain ecosystem. They ensure the operation, security and reliability of the blockchain. The distributed nature (reminder: not every node of the chain has good decentralized distribution) makes the blockchain a decentralized, secure and stable system.

The existence of nodes is a key element of blockchain technology and is crucial to realizing the core values and goals of blockchain.