Learn About Pharos Nodes
Last updated
Last updated
To build a robust, scalable, and decentralized blockchain network, Pharos implements a thoughtfully designed network topology and consensus mechanism, utilizing three essential node types: Validator Nodes, Full Nodes, and Relayer Nodes, as shown below.
The backbone of Pharos's consensus mechanism is its validator nodes, operating under a Byzantine fault-tolerant (BFT), proof-of-stake protocol. Hundreds of validators work together to secure the network and process user transactions efficiently. Beyond transaction fees and staking rewards, validators can also earn additional revenue through restaking, allowing them to allocate token certificates to SPNs or dApps to enhance scalability, security, and liquidity while earning extra rewards.
Full nodes and relayer nodes support the distribution of blockchain data and provide essential ecosystem services such as state sync, parallel hint generation, indexing, querying, and API services. This structure ensures network integrity, performance, and security.
Full Nodes: Storing complete blocks and transaction states, Full Nodes offer crucial support functions. While they do not participate directly in consensus, they facilitate fast state sync to help other nodes quickly synchronize with the latest state and provide parallel hints to validators, enhancing parallel execution efficiency.
Relayer Nodes: These lightweight clients store the latest state and handle recent transactions. They provide essential node services, such as transaction simulation and forwarding, and earn rewards by efficiently forwarding messages within the SPNs.
Pharos employs an advanced consensus protocol designed for high throughput and low latency, optimized for large-scale nodes across wide-area networks to improve system resilience and security. This consensus mechanism adapts to network delays in real time and maximizes network bandwidth by allowing simultaneous proposals from all nodes, thereby eliminating single-proposer bottlenecks and fully utilizing network resources.
Pharos natively supports SPN deployment. Users can create SPNs by selecting a validator set within the Pharos network. SPNs can adopt entirely distinct protocols, such as private AIoT networks or networks tailored for multi-party privacy-enhancing computations (MPT). SPNs are also compatible with networks requiring TEE hardware for transaction confidentiality and MEV management, as well as networks utilizing specialized hardware.
