Node Information

DISCLAIMER:
This document describes the first release of Numera Node and the initial plan for Testnet, which may not be up to date. Since the purpose of building Numera’s initial Testnet is to test and refine Numera’s blockchain, the plan may further change as more data is generated by the Testnet to guide the next steps ahead. The description below does not refer to Numera Mainnet Nodes, which are currently under a Mainnet firewall during the ongoing Enclosed Network period of Mainnet. In the upcoming Open Network period, the Mainnet firewall will be removed, allowing the broader Numera Community to run their own Numera Mainnet Nodes. Learn more here.

Introduction

Nodes are the fourth role in the Numera ecosystem and run on laptops and desktops instead of mobile phones. Similar to other blockchains, Numera Nodes will be responsible for validating transactions on a distributed ledger and resolving the challenges in maintaining a distributed currency by having all nodes come to a “consensus” on the order of new transactions that are being recorded.

Unlike nodes that use proof of work such as Bitcoin or Ethereum, Numera Node uses a different consensus algorithm based on the Stellar Consensus Protocol (SCP). In SCP, nodes form trusted groups (quorum slices) and only agree to transactions that those trusted nodes agree to. The security circles from Numera mobile miners aggregate into a global trust graph that enables Numera Nodes to form quorum slices to determine who can and cannot validate transactions on the shared ledger.

Unlike most other crypto projects, the Numera Node will continue to follow the philosophy of user-centric design. Instead of requiring deep technical knowledge to set up a node, everyday people will be able to do that by installing a desktop application on their computers. Through this computer application, Pioneers can switch the node software on/off to make their devices available/unavailable for serving as a node.

Numera will continue to adhere to the methodology of progressive decentralization as it develops its Testnet. During the initial Testnet, Numera’s blockchain component of the node software will have a centralized layer in order to achieve faster iterations of scenario stress testing and adaptations of the consensus algorithm to accommodate the needs of Numera Network and its global community. This initial version of the node is the first step toward building the Numera Testnet and eventually the fully decentralized mainnet.

This version of the node includes two interfaces: the node interface and the desktop Numera App interface. Depending on the levels of participation defined in the section below, Numeraoneers can use the two interfaces accordingly. Every mobile user can download the node software to their computer and use its desktop Numera App interface because it’s a similar interface to the mobile app and will allow people to check their Numera balance, watch media content and use the Numera chats on their personal computer. Every Pioneer can also apply to be a Node through the node interface and install the blockchain component there. There will initially be a Selection Stage for the Core Team to calibrate node selection criteria based on the device reliability and connectivity. When a node is selected by the Core Team, they’ll need to pass KYC to proceed to serve as a node on Testnet.

Levels of Node Participation

There are currently three levels of participation for Pioneers to use the Numera Node software on their computers.

Computer App

Computer App refers to only using the desktop Numera App interface of the node software. It enables Pioneers who want to interact with the Numera app from their computers, so it has similar functionalities to the mobile app. Also, in the future, as more functionalities are added to the Numera App, some of them might be easier to access through the desktop interface.

Node

Node means that Pioneers access the node interface, finish installing necessary technical preparations based on instructions, and switch on/off the node interface to make their computer available to run the blockchain component after being selected. They verify the validity of the blockchain and submit transactions to get recorded on the blockchain.

SuperNode

SuperNodes are the backbone of Numera’s Blockchain. They are responsible for reaching a consensus to write the right transaction on the Numera ledger and for ensuring that other Nodes get the latest state of the blockchain. SuperNodes are selected by the Core Team and must have 24/7 connectivity and high reliability.

Refer to the Numera documentation for system requirements and more technical setup details.