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Run a Varnir node

Being built

Running your own node is a planned capability of Activeledger v5.1, the ledger Varnir runs on. The design is in review and nothing runs yet. Details on this page may change before anything ships.

A Varnir node gives you your own copy of the ledger, checked against the network's own signatures, on a machine you control. This page explains the two kinds of node, what the lighter kind does, why you might run one, and how running one could pay. It is written at the level of what a node does, not how to set one up; an operator guide follows when there is something to install.

Two kinds of node​

Supernodes are the voting nodes. They reach consensus on every transaction and are the only nodes that decide what is committed. On testnet, Varnir runs every supernode while the network is being built. Production is designed to be run by separate, independent operators, in the way Tron has super representatives and Bitcoin has miners.

Hybrid nodes are lighter nodes that do not vote. A hybrid follows what the supernodes agree, checks it, keeps its own copy, and serves that copy to its own users and apps. This page is about running a hybrid.

What a hybrid does​

  • Keeps its own copy of the ledger. It starts from what the network marks as essential and fetches anything else the first time it is needed.
  • Checks the supernodes' work. Every agreed transaction arrives carrying the supernodes' signed votes, and the hybrid checks those signatures itself. It also re-checks the transaction locally and keeps only what the supernodes agreed. If its copy ever disagrees, it repairs it from other nodes.
  • Takes the supernodes' word where it must. Some work only supernodes can do: signing withdrawals, talking to blockchains. For that, the hybrid takes the supernodes' signed result instead of redoing it.
  • Accepts transactions from its own users. It passes them on to the supernodes only after checking them itself, so a bad transaction is turned away early.
  • Produces events first-hand. Transfers, deposits and trades come from its own copy, as the network agrees them.
  • Finds its peers through the ledger. Hybrids discover each other from the ledger itself and connect over an authenticated peer-to-peer link or plain HTTP.
  • Stays small. It keeps the latest state plus a rolling window of history.

Why run one​

  • Your own copy of the data. Read balances, transactions and streams from a node you run.
  • Events first-hand. Your apps hear about activity from your own node, not from a feed someone else operates.
  • Lower-latency reads. A copy next to your apps answers faster than a round trip to a remote API.
  • Less dependence on someone else's API. If a third-party endpoint is slow or down, your reads still work.
  • Checking before you send. Your node checks a transaction before it leaves your network, so mistakes are caught close to the source.
  • Supporting the network. More copies, held by more operators, make the ledger harder to take offline.

Could it pay?​

We are exploring ways for operators to be rewarded for running a node. None of this is decided, and terms will be published before anything is offered. Two ideas are on the table:

  • Credits. Varnir already prices usage in credits, and plans are bought with them. An operator could receive credits for serving the network, such as relaying checked transactions or serving data to other nodes.
  • Enterprise data access. A business could pay a node operator for access to a verified, low-latency copy of the ledger and its event feed without running a node itself. White-label customers could run their own.

Both are planned, not decided. No figures exist yet, and nothing here is a commitment.

What a hybrid never does​

  • It does not vote. Only supernodes decide what is committed, and a hybrid never commits anything they did not agree.
  • It holds no key material. The split keys behind Varnir's on-chain wallets stay with the supernodes and their confidential VMs. A hybrid never receives a key part and never takes part in signing.
  • It is not a wallet. Your Varnir keys stay on your own device, as today.

Status and what's next​

Hybrid nodes are a planned capability of Activeledger v5.1. The design is in review and nothing runs yet. When there is something to install, Varnir will publish an operator guide covering requirements, setup and what to expect, and will set out any reward terms before offering them.