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Need to Know

  • Proof of Bond

    THORChain is a proof of stake chain with nodes (THORNodes). RUNE has to be bonded to a node for it to enter the network and earn its pro rata share of fees. 300,000 RUNE is the minimum bond required for a node to churn into the network. However, this might not be enough to actually churn in or keep the node in the network.

  • Bond Size

    The nodes churning in are prioritized based on their bond size. The larger the bond size the better the chance of the node churning in and staying in the network. It's worth exploring the active and eligible nodes to determine how much RUNE a node needs to enter and stay in the network.

  • Churn Process

    THORChain churns its validator set every 3 days. The oldest node, the node with the highest slash points, and the node with the lowest bond are removed. Other nodes can voluntarily exit at this time as well. The number of nodes that can churn into the network are capped at the total number churning out plus 4. For example, if 5 nodes are churning out then 9 nodes are able to churn in.

  • Pooled Node

    If you don’t have enough RUNE to create a large enough bond for a node, you can crowdsource more from third-party bond providers and create a pooled node.

Getting Started

  • THORNode Docs

    New node operators should read the THORNode Overview section in the documents. The link is provided above.

  • Hosting Options

    Nodes can be run on enterprise server systems (AWS, Google Cloud, Azure) or self hosted on bare metal systems (Vultr).

  • Infrastructure Requirements

    The resources required to run a THORNode are significant due to running full daemons of all the connected blockchains.

  • RPC Connections

    Node operators can run RPC connections locally, connect to professional RPC providers, or do a mix of both.

Node Launcher

A THORChain node has several components that need to be run by the operator. These components are packaged in a git repository called the node launcher.

  • THORNode

    This is the THORChain block client.

  • Gateway

    Connects the node to the network.

  • Bifrost

    Verifies transactions on connected chains and signs transactions to THORChain.

  • RPC Third-Party Clients

    For the integrated chains on THORChain (Bitcoin, Ethereum, Cosmos, etc).

Bare Metal Node Guide

The node operator community has made a concerted push towards bare metal nodes to help decentralize the network. The majority of active node operators run bare metal setups, and we recommend you do the same. To run a bare metal instance with a custom RPC configuration, read this comprehensive guide that multiple node operators have contributed to over the years.

THORChain Node Explorers

These block explorers will provide you with information and statistics to help you manage your node.

Questions or Issues

The THORChain community is welcoming and willing to help new node operators. If you have any problems or questions about deploying a node, start by searching and asking in the ‘mainnet’ or ‘bare-metal-nodes’ channels in the Dev Discord.