Participate, verify, decentralize.

Anyone can run a node and participate in Flow’s unique multi-node architecture.
Why Run a Node?

Don’t just use the network, be the network.

A node is a piece of software that is connected to the blockchain. By running your own node, you have direct access to the evolving state of the network, without having to rely on third parties. This increases privacy and security, reduces reliance on external servers, and helps balance load distribution. By running a node, you also directly contribute to the security and decentralization of the whole network.

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Privacy & Security
 Be in full control of what information is shared with other nodes.
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Decentralization
Increase the resilience of the network.
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Participation
Be an integral part of a global, composable movement.
Who Should Run a Node?

Everyone! Anyone can run a node, on everyday hardware. You don’t even need to stake any FLOW. Run a node and contribute to the security and decentralization of the network.

Getting Started Running a Flow Node

For most use-cases, the Observer node is the easiest, most versatile node type to deploy. It provides a locally accessible, continuously updated and verified copy of the block data and does not require any staking. It can be easily run on any consumer-grade hardware with sufficient disk space.

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Flow’s Unique Multi-Node Architecture

Scalability is the make-or-break moment for the blockchain industry as a whole — only if networks can scale to millions by default, will millions come. The vast majority of projects rely on two approaches: sharding (Layer 1) and rollups (Layer 2). These techniques might tackle the immediate technical needs, but they introduce greater risks, minimize the benefits of decentralization and add complexity for developers and end-users in the long term.

Flow’s approach is different: rather than each node having to do all the work, Flow’s nodes are specialized along the transaction pipeline. Collection nodes batch the work, consensus nodes secure the work, execution nodes do the work, verification nodes check the work. Access nodes are the interface through which builders can access the network. 

Annual Energy Useage Total gWh (1 year)

By introducing this paradigm of pipelining, Flow’s solution is more scalable, more decentralized and more secure than existing scaling solutions, without increasing complexity for developers or needing to rely on off-chain workarounds. 

Benefits of Flow’s Multi-Node Architecture
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Scales to millions by default by providing a highly performant base layer.
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Makes network participation more accessible by lowering requirements for certain node types ,  they can even be run on consumer-grade laptops.
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Increases decentralization by lowering the barrier of running a node, which increases the likelihood of more nodes participating.
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Abstracts complexity into the protocol to preserve ease of development, letting developers ship applications faster without needing to worry about infrastructure requirements.
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Ensures great end-user experience by avoiding Layer 2 solutions, freeing users from needing to consider technical implication and keeping onboarding simple.
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Preserves security at scale, since no transaction has to rely on potentially corrupt off-chain computations and all interactions between entities can happen in one atomic, consistent, isolated, and durable (ACID) transaction.
Running a Staked Node

If you are interested in running a staked Flow node, you have several options depending on the Node type. Each staked node type requires a minimum stake.

Delegation

You don’t need to run a node to stake your FLOW. Any account in the network may also participate in staking by delegating their tokens to a node operator. Every node operator in the network is eligible to receive delegations, there is no opting out.