What are Nodes? Types of Nodes in Blockchain
What are Nodes? A node is a device on a blockchain network that is the foundational element that allows technology to work and exist. Nodes are spread in a wide network and perform many different tasks.
A node can be any active electronic device, including a computer, phone or even a printer, as long as it is connected to the internet and as such has an IP address. The role of a node is to support the network by maintaining a copy of a blockchain and, in some cases, to process transactions. Nodes are usually arranged in a tree-like structure, called a binary tree. Each digital coin has its own nodes, which maintain the token's transaction records.
Nodes are individual parts of a blockchain, a larger data structure. When owners of nodes are willing to contribute their computing resources to store and validate transactions they have the opportunity to collect transaction fees and earn rewards in cryptocurrency. This process is called mining.
Processing these transactions can require large processing and computing power, meaning that the average computer's capabilities are not enough. In general, professional miners tend to invest in extremely powerful computing devices called CPUs (central processing units) or GPUs (graphics processing units) to keep up with the demand. on processing power to validate transactions and get rewarded for the work.
The power required for many nodes to mine is really worth considering when electricity price also becomes an important factor. This is why some of the largest and most lucrative mines are located in places where electricity is cheaper, such as China or Venezuela.
A node can be a communication endpoint or a communication redistribution point, linking to other nodes. Every node on the network is considered equal, however certain nodes have different roles in the way that the node supports the network. For example, not all nodes will store a full copy of a blockchain or validate transactions.
A full node will download a complete copy of a blockchain and check any new transactions coming in against the consensus protocol used by the cryptocurrency or token.
All nodes use the same consensus protocol to stay compatible with each other. There are nodes on the system that confirm and validate transactions, placing them in blocks. Always going nodes have their own decisions about whether a transaction is valid and added to a block with other transactions, regardless of how other nodes behave.
Types of Nodes in Blockchain
There are different types of nodes in the blockchain. The requirements for owning a node are different according to the cryptocurrency (or application of the blockchain) and their consensus method.
Root node- The highest node in a binary tree.
Parent node- A node that has nodes that extend from it.
Child note- A node is extended from another node.
Leaf node- A node with no child nodes
Sibling nodes – Nodes connected to the same parent node.
Tree- A data structure that starts at a root node.
Forest - A collection of node trees.
Degree - Child node hierarchy of a node.
Edge- association between nodes.