Full Nodes vs. Light Nodes
Understanding the difference between full nodes and light nodes is key to appreciating BlazeNode’s approach to decentralized infrastructure.
Full Nodes
Full nodes store and validate the entire blockchain history. This requires significant bandwidth, storage, and computational resources. Full nodes:
- Download and verify every block and transaction
- Maintain a complete copy of the blockchain
- Provide the highest level of security and trustlessness
Light Nodes
Light nodes offer a more efficient alternative. They:
- Download only block headers (not full blocks)
- Rely on full nodes to validate specific pieces of data
- Operate with far fewer resources (bandwidth, storage, computation)
This makes light nodes ideal for everyday users who want to support the network without running enterprise-grade infrastructure. BlazeNode leverages this model to enable anyone to participate in Ethereum’s decentralization directly from their browser.
The Problem: Centralization via RPC Providers
Despite Ethereum’s decentralized design, a large portion of users and dApps rely on centralized infrastructure providers like Infura and Alchemy for network access. This centralization:
- Creates potential points of failure
- Weakens the censorship resistance of the ecosystem
- Undermines Ethereum’s foundational goals
BlazeNode addresses this by empowering users to run light nodes in their browsers, increasing network redundancy and reducing reliance on centralized RPC providers.
For more on how BlazeNode works, see How BlazeNode Works and Why Nodes Matter.