Overview
Full nodes are essential for the decentralization and security of a blockchain. They don't rely on any other node to tell them the state of the network; they calculate it themselves from the genesis block.
Functions
- Verification: Checks every transaction against the consensus rules.
- Propagation: Relays new transactions and blocks to other nodes in the network.
- Security: Prevents the network from accepting invalid data.
Requirements
Running a full node requires significant storage space and bandwidth, as the node must download and maintain the entire history of the chain.