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What’s the difference between a full node and validator node?

Radix nodes synchronized with the Radix Public Network provide various services to the network and its users. The Radix Node software can be configured differently for different purposes. There are two main purposes that people run Radix nodes, and we give each type of node a unique name:

Validator nodes are what most people think of as a node. These are nodes that have registered with the network to gather delegated stake and potentially be selected for inclusion in the validator set that conducts consensus on transactions. If successful, validator nodes may receive emissions via a “validator fee” that they can specify. These are the nodes that are listed on the Validator List on the Radix Explorer webpage.

Full nodes do not conduct consensus. Instead, A full node simply connects to the network, synchronizes ledger state, and observes the status of the network. A full node stores the ledger transaction stream, which is exposed for the node-runner’s use by the Core API. Radix Gateways connect to full nodes to offer more accessible queries via the Gateway API.

For more information about Radix nodes and how to operate them, see docs.radixdlt.com.

Further Reading: