Bitcoin in depth
Nodes: who really runs the network
3 min
It is easy to assume miners are "in charge" of Bitcoin. They are not. The rules are enforced by nodes, and understanding the distinction clears up a great deal.
What a node is
A full node is a computer running the Bitcoin software that keeps a complete copy of the blockchain and independently verifies every rule — checking that each transaction is valid, that no coin is spent twice, and that no block creates more bitcoin than allowed.
Nodes vs miners
- Miners propose new blocks and compete for the reward.
- Nodes check those blocks against the rules and reject any that break them, no matter how much work went into producing them.
This is the crucial point: a miner cannot force an invalid block onto the network, because every node would discard it. Power is distributed to the thousands of people running nodes, not concentrated in miners.
Why running a node matters
Anyone can run a full node on ordinary hardware. Doing so lets you verify the network's state yourself rather than trusting a third party — the practical meaning of the phrase "don't trust, verify". The more independent nodes exist, the harder the network is to censor or change. Decentralisation is not an abstraction here; it is literally the number and spread of these machines.
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