Node types
The same terms recur across chains, though exact semantics differ. Each chain's Node Architecture page states which of these it supports and what they mean there.
| Node type | Purpose | Typical interface exposure |
|---|---|---|
| Full Node | Validates and stores recent state; serves reads | RPC/API enabled, often internal |
| Archive Node | Retains full historical state | RPC/API + trace/debug; heavy storage |
| Validator Node | Participates in consensus / block production | No public RPC; admin-only |
| RPC Node | Dedicated read/serve node behind a gateway | Public or gateway-fronted RPC/API |
| Indexer Node | Feeds an external index (DB) from streams | gRPC/stream consumer, not a public endpoint |
Choosing a node type
- Serving an app's reads/writes → RPC Node behind a gateway.
- Historical queries / explorers / tracing → Archive Node.
- Real-time pipelines into a database → Indexer Node consuming a stream
(Sui SubscriptionService, Aptos Transaction Stream, Solana
logsSubscribe, EVMeth_subscribe). - Consensus participation → Validator Node, never publicly exposed.