Nodes
The computers that check every rule and keep Bitcoin honest.
- Full node
A computer that checks every Bitcoin transaction and block against the rules, trusting no one.
- Pruned node
A full node that verifies everything, then throws away old blocks to save disk.
- Light client (SPV)
A wallet that skips full checking and trusts the network's miners instead.
- Why run a node?
Because with your own node, nobody can lie to you about your money.
- Initial block download
A new node's rite of passage: verifying every block since 2009, once.
- Mempool
The waiting room where broadcast transactions sit until a miner picks them up.
- Archival node