# Hardware Requirements

Running a node on Vola Network doesn't require specialist hardware, but it does require a machine that can perform reliably, stay online consistently, and meet the minimum specifications for the node type you're running.

This page consolidates all hardware requirements in one place so you can plan your infrastructure before getting started.

{% hint style="info" %}
**These requirements apply to the testnet phase only.**

As Vola transitions to mainnet, requirements may evolve. This page will be updated accordingly.
{% endhint %}

### Requirements by Node Type

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Validation Node" %}

<table><thead><tr><th width="190.22216796875">Component</th><th width="259.666748046875">Minimum Requirement</th><th width="247.892333984375">Recommended</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>RAM</strong></td><td>4 GB</td><td>8 GB+</td></tr><tr><td><strong>CPU</strong></td><td>2 Core</td><td>4 Core+</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Storage</strong></td><td>20 GB</td><td>100 GB+</td></tr><tr><td><strong>OS</strong></td><td>Linux (recommended)</td><td>Linux Server</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Network</strong></td><td>10Mbps+ stable connection</td><td>50Mbps+</td></tr></tbody></table>

{% hint style="success" icon="dove" %}
**Running a Validation Node?**

If your machine has additional storage capacity beyond the minimum, consider also running an RPC Node alongside it, the extra overhead is minimal and helps decentralize chain access.

If you have 8GB+ RAM and additional storage drives, you have everything needed to also run a Storage Node and earn storage fees on top of your validation rewards.
{% endhint %}
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Vola Smart Node" %}

<table><thead><tr><th width="190.22216796875">Component</th><th width="259.666748046875">Minimum Requirement</th><th width="247.892333984375">Recommended</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>RAM</strong></td><td>8 GB</td><td>16 GB+</td></tr><tr><td><strong>CPU</strong></td><td>4 Core</td><td>8 Core+</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Storage</strong></td><td>Min. 500GB</td><td>Min. 500GB</td></tr><tr><td><strong>I/O Speeds (Bytes/s)</strong></td><td>25 MB/s per TB of Storage</td><td>50MB/s+ per TB of Storage</td></tr><tr><td><strong>OS</strong></td><td>Linux (recommended)</td><td>Linux Server</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Network</strong></td><td>Refer The Section Below</td><td>Refer The Section Below</td></tr></tbody></table>

{% hint style="success" icon="dove" %}
**Running a Storage Node?**

If your machine meets the recommended specs (16GB RAM, strong CPU), you likely have enough headroom to also run an RPC Node on the same machine at no additional cost.

This helps the network and gives you direct access to your own chain queries without relying on third-party endpoints.
{% endhint %}
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="RPC Node" %}

<table><thead><tr><th width="243.5555419921875">Component</th><th width="238.5556640625">Minimum Requirement</th><th width="206.7811279296875">Recommended</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>RAM</strong></td><td>4 GB</td><td>8 GB+</td></tr><tr><td><strong>CPU</strong></td><td>2 Core</td><td>4 Core+</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Storage</strong></td><td>20 GB</td><td>100 GB+</td></tr><tr><td><strong>OS</strong></td><td>Linux (recommended)</td><td>Linux Server</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Network</strong> (usage dependent)</td><td>50Mbps+ stable connection</td><td>100Mbps+</td></tr></tbody></table>

{% hint style="success" icon="dove" %}
**Running an RPC Node?**

If you're already at the recommended spec (8GB RAM, 100GB storage), upgrading to an Archive Node is simply a matter of allocating more storage, the CPU and RAM requirements are identical.

Archive Nodes are significantly more valuable to the ecosystem and are essential for block explorers and developers. If you have the storage to spare, run an Archive Node.
{% endhint %}
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Archive Node" %}

<table><thead><tr><th width="243.5555419921875">Component</th><th width="238.5556640625">Minimum Requirement</th><th width="206.7811279296875">Recommended</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>RAM</strong></td><td>4 GB</td><td>8 GB+</td></tr><tr><td><strong>CPU</strong></td><td>2 Core</td><td>4 Core+</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Storage</strong></td><td>50 GB</td><td>200 GB+</td></tr><tr><td><strong>OS</strong></td><td>Linux (recommended)</td><td>Linux Server</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Network</strong> (usage dependent)</td><td>10Mbps+ stable connection</td><td>50Mbps+</td></tr></tbody></table>

{% hint style="success" icon="dove" %}
**Running an Archive Node?**

You're already running a storage-intensive node type with no rewards.

If you have spare RAM (8GB+) and additional storage, adding a Storage Node to your setup lets you put that infrastructure to work and earn $VOLA rewards on top of your existing contribution to the network.
{% endhint %}
{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

#### Recommended Speeds For Optimal Performance

Vola Smart Nodes are designed to handle real-world usage, and it's very important that the node performance is considered carefully to avoid unnecessary bottlenecks.

VSN operators must take into account a combination of network performance, disk IO, and total storage capacity committed to the network. Let's dive deeper into these performance metrics for best results & usage potential.

#### <i class="fa-head-side-brain">:head-side-brain:</i> Understanding Bottlenecks

<details>

<summary><strong>Network Bottlenecks (most common)</strong></summary>

Internet bandwidth is the most common bottleneck, especially upload speed.\
If you have a VSN with 10TBs of storage committed and bandwidth of 50Mbps (6.25MB/s) it would take roughly \~25 days at 75% network efficiency to fill the nodes, and file retrieval for storage users would seem extremely slow.

In this configuration, your disk I/O and storage committed is almost certainly not going to be the bottleneck.

{% hint style="success" icon="cloud-check" %}
For internet speed, use the lower value as your baseline, i.e. if download speed is 100Mbps and upload is 50Mbps, consider 50Mbps for your calculations.

Check your upload and download speeds with different services before committing to run a node of specific capacity.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Network Bandwidth ≠ Speed**

Make sure your internet speed is also good.

Bandwidth is how much data your connection can carry at once. Speed (latency/ping), measured in milliseconds (ms), is how fast data travels. A high bandwidth connection with poor latency will still feel slow under load.
{% endhint %}

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Disk I/O Bottlenecks (uncommon)</strong></summary>

Disk throughput becomes a bottleneck when your network speeds are very good and the storage system cannot keep up with incoming or outgoing network traffic.

A VSN with 10TBs of storage and network speed of 1Gbps (125MB/s) with disk speed of 125MB/s would not be able to handle concurrent read write tasks.

The min. disk IO in this case should be \~250MB/s with recommended speeds of \~750MB/s.

{% hint style="success" icon="cloud-check" %}
**Simple Rule of Thumb**

Make sure your disk I/O speeds vs the network speeds are min. 2x, recommended 6x+ of the internet speeds. Ex.:\
100Mbps (12.5MB/s) bandwidth - disk I/O min. 25MB/s, recommended 62.5MB/s\
300Mbps (37.5MB/s) bandwidth - disk I/O min. 75MB/s, recommended 187.5MB/s\
2Gbps (250MB/s) bandwidth - disk I/O min. 500MB/s, recommended 1.25GB/s
{% endhint %}

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Storage Capacity Bottlenecks (harmless)</strong></summary>

If you have a VSN with 500 Mbps network and strong disk I/O of \~300 MB/s but a storage capacity of only 2 TB. Your node performance will be great and your full storage may be theoretically utilized in \~12 hours.

One caveat being that in this configuration, your network and disk are underutilized because capacity is too low. Theoretically you could provide storage of \~15TBs+.

{% hint style="success" icon="cloud-check" %}
Storage capacity bottlenecks are harmless and does not affect your rewards, in fact it may mean that your node is fully utilized and so is generating max. rewards possible.
{% endhint %}

</details>

### Best Practices for Storage Node Performance

A storage node's real-world performance comes down to three factors working together: network bandwidth, disk I/O, and storage capacity. Getting the balance right is important to maximize utility & reward potential.

| Network Speed | Effective Throughput | Recommended Disk I/O | Suggested Storage Capacity |
| ------------- | -------------------- | -------------------- | -------------------------- |
| 100 Mbps      | 12.5 MB/s            | 75 MB/s              | 2–5 TB                     |
| 300 Mbps      | 37.5 MB/s            | 187.5 MB/s           | 10–15 TB                   |
| 500 Mbps      | 62.5 MB/s            | 312.5 MB/s           | 15–25 TB                   |
| 1 Gbps        | 125 MB/s             | 625 MB/s             | 40–50 TB                   |
| 2 Gbps        | 250 MB/s             | 1.25 GB/s            | 70–100 TB                  |

These are guidelines, not hard limits. Your optimal configuration depends on your specific hardware, network conditions, and how much storage you want to commit. When in doubt, start smaller and scale up as you get comfortable with your node's performance.

{% hint style="warning" icon="cloud-xmark" %}
The most common mistake is over committing storage capacity relative to your network speed, ending up with a node that's slow to fill and even slower to serve users.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="success" icon="dove" %}
VSN rewards are strictly based on a combination of real world performance metrics and DOP proofs + uptime; and NOT based on your configuration. Rewards are strictly governed on-chain.

**DOP and on-chain performance monitoring is/will be under active development until a near perfect model is achieved.**
{% endhint %}

### Key Considerations

<details>

<summary><strong>VSNs require a public domain</strong></summary>

A public domain is required for VSNs. Unlike Validation Nodes, VSNs must be reachable by users and the chain over the public internet via HTTPS.

If you don't have your own domain, we will provide you a subdomain during node registration. SSL is handled automatically during setup via Let's Encrypt.

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Storage capacity determines your stake</strong></summary>

For VSNs (storage nodes), the amount of storage you commit to the network directly affects your staking requirement.

Before deciding how much storage to offer, review the staking formula on the [Node Staking Requirements](/docs/vola-node-economy/staking-and-delegation/node-staking.md) page to understand the relationship between capacity and stake.

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Uptime matters</strong></summary>

For Validation Nodes, going offline means missing block production slots and losing era rewards. For Storage Nodes, missing proof submission windows within a checkpoint affects your DOP score and reduces your reward share.

Both node types benefit significantly from running on reliable, always-on infrastructure.

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Linux is strongly recommended</strong></summary>

All node types are designed and tested primarily on Linux environments. While Docker may allow operation on other operating systems, Linux is the recommended and most stable environment for running Vola nodes in production.

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Archive Node storage grows over time</strong></summary>

Archive Nodes retain the complete history of the Vola chain. As the network grows and more blocks are produced, the storage requirement for Archive Nodes will increase. Plan your infrastructure with room to grow.

</details>

### What's Next?

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Validation Nodes</strong></td><td><em>Ready to set up a Validation Node? Head to the full setup guide.</em></td><td><a href="/pages/Ytxs5hMW3rWfb938QTg3">/pages/Ytxs5hMW3rWfb938QTg3</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Vola Smart Node</strong> <em>(Storage)</em></td><td><em>Ready to set up a Storage Node? Head to the full setup guide.</em></td><td><a href="/pages/GsrLAfwWLWaMNhVQ2sph">/pages/GsrLAfwWLWaMNhVQ2sph</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Node Staking Requirements</strong></td><td><em>Understand how much $VOLA you need to stake before getting started.</em></td><td><a href="/pages/1Z3WvSS7obhDHKQnv0JD">/pages/1Z3WvSS7obhDHKQnv0JD</a></td></tr></tbody></table>


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