Node
A node is a program that stores the chain of blocks and checks every transaction against the rules of the network. The miner computes and the node checks.
What a node is
A full node downloads the whole history of the network, recomputes signatures and watches that nobody breaks the rules. It does no mining and brings in no money. Its job is keeping lies out of the chain, and the trust the whole system rests on comes from those checks.
The split is simple. An ASIC runs through header variants and sends in solutions. The pool collects solutions and assembles a block. The node takes the finished block and says yes or no. When you mine in a pool, the pool keeps its own node, and you need none of your own at all.
Your own node becomes necessary in one case: solo mining. Then the asic works directly with your node, and you assemble the block yourself. On Bitcoin that means storing a chain hundreds of gigabytes deep plus a permanent internet link, so people usually put a node on a separate computer rather than on a working laptop.
There are lighter options. A pruned node checks all the same things while it keeps no full copy of old blocks, and disk use drops several times over. For solo mining that option works. For a complete archive of history it does not.
Quick reference table
| What it does | stores the chain and checks the rules |
| Does it earn | no, this is not mining |
| When you need one | for solo mining |
| Disk space | hundreds of gigabytes on Bitcoin, less on a pruned node |
| In a pool | the pool keeps the node, so you need none of your own |
Do you actually need one
If you mine in a pool, the answer is no. Your ASIC talks to the pool over Stratum and the pool checks the blocks, so there is nothing for your own node to add.
If you want to go solo, you will have to run a node and keep it synced around the clock. Downtime on the node means downtime on the miner, and uptime for that pair counts by the weakest link.
A node is useful without mining too, when you take payouts and want to verify them yourself instead of asking somebody else's service. That is a question of trust rather than of profit.
An example from the bench
A client wants to go solo on one asic. Do the math: an S21 at 200 TH/s in a network of about 950 EH/s waits for a block ninety years on average, and the power bill on the Spanish rate runs about 11 euros a day. On top of that comes a separate computer for the node and hundreds of gigabytes of disk. When we talk clients out of it, the reason is this arithmetic and nothing else.
Related terms
Where to go next on the site
Coins
Hardware
- ASIC Miner knowledge base
Questions and answers
Are a node and a miner the same thing
No. A miner runs through variants looking for a solution, while a node stores the chain and checks the rules. An ASIC has no node inside it.
Does the network pay for running a node
The network pays nothing for it. A node exists for verification and independence, and income comes only from finding blocks.
How much space does a Bitcoin node need
The full chain takes hundreds of gigabytes and keeps growing. A pruned node fits into tens of gigabytes and does the job for solo mining.
How the terms connect
Every link in the chain is clickable. Orange marks where you are now.
Looking for an ASIC miner
The catalog holds 212 models. You can compare them by hashrate and by joules per terahash, then plug your own rate into the calculator and see what stays in your pocket.
Page written and checked by Denys Klimchuk. Updated .