What is a Bitcoin Node?

The Bitcoin (BTC) network works with a network of nodes. This is strictly necessary for the blockchain to remain secure and keep a copy of all the transactions that have been processed on the Bitcoin network. 

Nodes are connected to each other and make the whole Bitcoin network more decentralized. The larger the number of nodes running, the more decentralized the Bitcoin network becomes. In the next sections, we are going to tell you what a Bitcoin node is, how to run a Bitcoin node and all the information you should have about them. 

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What is a Bitcoin Node?

A Bitcoin node is basically a computer that participates in the blockchain network and that connects with other nodes. They propagate transactions and blocks among other peers (nodes). These become verifiers of all the transactions of the blockchain networks.

Nodes keep a copy of the full Bitcoin blockchain. That means that they have the whole information of all the transactions that took place on the BTC network since it was created. Each of the full nodes verifies that a transaction that was received is fully compliant with all the previous transactions. 

A node manually controls and reconciles the transaction received to understand whether it is legitimate or not. Moreover, if they found that a transaction received from one of the nodes is not correct (double-spend), they would exclude the node that sent the wrong information. 

Nodes that propagate wrong information are blocked and isolated. Nodes basically verify the transactions and confirm they are valid by checking on the Bitcoin blockchain network. The larger the network of nodes the more decentralized and secure the Bitcoin network becomes. 

Bitcoin nodes are run not only by individuals but also by companies and firms. Exchanges in the crypto market do not run just one node but several Bitcoin nodes to make sure they are participating on the blockchain network controlling the transactions and making sure that they are properly working. 

How to Run a Bitcoin Node?

If you want to run a full Bitcoin node, you will need some hardware and software. However, it is not difficult to buy all the things you need to become a node. 

The list of things you need include:

• Raspberry Pi 4 
• 1 TB SSD
• SSD Enclosure
• 16GB / 32 GB Micro SD
• Ethernet Cable
• Power Supply
• Additional Raspberry Pi 4 Accessories

Once you have all this hardware, you can start running your Bitcoin node by using Umbrel. Umbrel became one of the best solutions to run a Bitcoin node. Not only this, but they are also offering a Lightning Network node as soon as you have the hardware devices necessary to run a full node. 

Umbrel makes it easier for people without technical knowledge to run a BTC node and be part of the whole crypto ecosystem. Umbrel allows you to use a Raspberry pi Bitcoin node and run it in just a few simple steps. A Bitcoin full node is now available for everyone that wants to run it. 

Furthermore, by using Umbrel, users can connect their wallets to the node and route their payments using their own node. This is one of the best things to become certainly independent in the Bitcoin blockchain. You control the transactions received and you also protect the Bitcoin network with an entire copy of the blockchain. 

Bitcoin Node Count

At the moment there are 9662 Bitcoin nodes that are discoverable. It is worth noting that not all the nodes running are public. That means that the number of nodes running around the world could be much larger than what we see in Binodes. 

The larger the network of nodes, the better it becomes for Bitcoin to become more secure. There will be a larger number of participants that keep a copy of the entire blockchain network and that could share the information with other participants. 

The country with the largest number of public nodes is the United States (1870), followed by Germany (1731) and France (611). Netherlands, Canada, the United Kingdom, Russia, China, Finland and Singapore are also part of the top 10. 98 different jurisdictions are running at least one Bitcoin full node that is publicly visible.