Introduction

The Avalanche network is a decentralized platform designed for high throughput and low latency, enabling a wide range of applications. At the core of the network are nodes and validators, which play vital roles in maintaining the network's security, reliability, and performance.

What is a Node?

A node in the Avalanche network is any computer that participates in the network by maintaining a copy of the blockchain, relaying information, and validating transactions. Nodes can be of different types depending on their role and level of participation in the network’s operations.

Types of Nodes

• Full Node: Stores the entire blockchain data and helps propagate transactions and blocks across the network. It does not participate directly in consensus but is crucial for the network's health and decentralization. Archival full nodes store store the entire blockchain ledger, including all transactions from the beginning to the most recent. Pruned full nodes download the blockchain ledger, then delete blocks starting with the oldest to save memory.
• Validator Node: A specialized type of full node that actively participates in the consensus process by validating transactions, producing blocks, and securing the network. Validator nodes are required to stake AVAX tokens as collateral to participate in the consensus mechanism.
• RPC (Remote Procedure Call) Node: These nodes act as an interface, enabling third-party applications to query and interact with the blockchain.

More About Validator Nodes

A validator node participates in the network's consensus protocol by validating transactions and creating new blocks. Validators play a critical role in ensuring the integrity, security, and decentralization of the network.

Key Functions of Validators:

• Transaction Validation: Validators verify the legitimacy of transactions before they are added to the blockchain.
• Block Production: Validators produce and propose new blocks to the network. This involves reaching consensus with other validators to agree on which transactions should be included in the next block.
• Security and Consensus: Validators work together to secure the network and ensure that only valid transactions are confirmed. This is done through the Avalanche Consensus protocol, which allows validators to achieve agreement quickly and with high security.

Primary Network Validators

To become a validator on the Primary Network, you must stake 2,000 AVAX. This will grant you the ability to validate transactions across all three chains in the Primary Network: the P-Chain, C-Chain, and X-Chain.

Avalanche L1 Validator

To become a validator on an Avalanche L1, you must meet the specific validator management criteria for that network. If the L1 operates on a Proof-of-Stake (PoS) model, you will need to stake the required amount of tokens to be eligible.

In addition to meeting these criteria, there is a monthly fee of 1.33 AVAX per validator.