Ethereum — the second-popular cryptocurrency and the platform to skyrocket smart contracts to success — is an excellent network for creating blockchain-based products.
Anything, from DeFi to crypto wallets, can be built on Ethereum with the help of Ethereum nodes.
How do they work and what can users expect in the future?
Let’s dive right in!
Ethereum: a brief history
The key difference between Ethereum and Bitcoin is the platform’s ability to trade more than just cryptocurrency.
With the implementation of smart contract technology, Ethereum quickly rose to success following its initial launch in 2015.
Ethereum’s stages of progress included the big Merge event – in September 2022, the blockchain switched from the Proof-of-Work consensus algorithm to Proof-of-Stake – a more environmentally-friendly and efficient type.
There are more hard forks planned in the future, such as the Shanghai update set to be released in 2023 and intended to positively impact Ethereum staking capabilities.
It goes without saying that Ethereum is a permissionless, open-source blockchain that functions without the involvement of a middleman.
In a world that is becoming more and more dependent on technology, Ethereum has positioned itself to be able to meet this expanding need. How is it possible?
With the help of Ethereum nodes!
What are Ethereum nodes?
What is an Ethereum node, as one simple response to the question implies, is one of the building components of the Ethereum blockchain.
Once you have a thorough grasp of peer-to-peer networks, you can move on to learning about nodes.
Ethereum nodes are computing devices that can store a copy of the blockchain and provide a plethora of services to support the consensus and overall maintenance of the network.
There are different types of Ethereum nodes, but we will quickly cover the main three – full, light, and archive.
The first among Ethereum node types is a full node.
Capable of storing the entire history of blockchain states and participating in block and state validating processes, full nodes play a significant role by providing specific data on request.
Full nodes are periodically pruned so it does not have the function of storing state data back to genesis. However, all states can be derived from full nodes.
The light nodes make up the second category of Ethereum nodes. The light nodes operate by getting block headers as opposed to entire blocks.
The blocks’ content is summarized in the headers, and a complete node would be contacted for any additional information the light node might require.
Users may be able to operate on the Ethereum network using light nodes instead of full nodes, which require more powerful hardware and high bandwidth.
What is more, light nodes may enable operations even on mobile devices. Be aware that light nodes do not participate in consensus.
Last but not least, archive nodes are designed to assist in gathering historical states as well as storing data in a full node.
But because the data in archive nodes may take up terabytes of storage, average users generally find the archive nodes less attractive.
Archive nodes, on the other hand, can be of great use to block explorers, wallets, and so on.
Advantages for users
How can users benefit from Ethereum nodes? First, nodes make sure that the blockchain consensus algorithm is strictly followed by all participants.
Nodes give users greater privacy when using Ethereum-based dApps.
Moreover, you can invest their ETH directly for network security and reward purposes as well as host services like layer 2 solutions, blockchain explorers, DeFi protocols, and more.
Finally, using nodes helps massively in reaching greater data processing efficiency. These are only some of the features users can expect from Ethereum nodes.
Bottom line and future plans
As Ethereum’s popularity is still on the rise and the network continues to introduce new technologies for global users, it is safe to say that Web3 developers can get a lot of benefits out of it.
With blockchain-as-a-service providers like GetBlock, users can get instant access to the Ethereum network via its nodes.
GetBlock is an RPC provider, with some of its most popular products being Ethereum nodes, MATIC nodes, Bitcoin nodes, and so on.
All you have to do is choose between shared and dedicated node options.
Shared nodes for Ethereum grant immediate shared access to mainnet and testnet, whereas dedicated nodes are privately designed nodes created to fit your specific requirements.
Get onboard the exciting world of Web3 development with GetBlock!