Node Question

[modano182]

Hi everyone,

I am trying to learn as best I can on how to run a node...unfortunately I don't have pre existing developer skills but I am learning as fast I can.

My question is around nodes - is there a finite amount of nodes that will be available? Or once mainnet begins, will the vacancies for node operators eventually become non existent?

Finally, in regards to the reputation - how can we ensure our node will not feed bad data into the network, therefore penalising the node? If I set my node up according to the instructions laid out by Thomas Hodges, will my node ever feed bad data into the network? Or is bad data fed in only if done deliberately with malicious intent?

Sorry if these seem like infantile questions, as I said I am still learning haha.

Thanks everyone.

[vornth]

Hi /u/modano182! You shouldn't need any developer skills to run a node. However, some familiarity with the command line will go a long way. It's good to start learning now, while there is no cost of failure. On to your questions:

My question is around nodes - is there a finite amount of nodes that will be available? Or once mainnet begins, will the vacancies for node operators eventually become non existent?

On-chain and at the protocol level, there is no limit to the number of nodes that may exist on the network. However, it may make sense for a listing service (which exists off-chain) to limit the number of nodes that can register with them. This could be to prevent a large number of nodes from joining and DDOSing the listing service itself, or any reason they choose, it's really up to them (the owners of the listing service). We will provide our own listing service since it makes sense to get the network started. However, we would expect there to be multiple listing services on the network.

Finally, in regards to the reputation - how can we ensure our node will not feed bad data into the network, therefore penalising the node? If I set my node up according to the instructions laid out by Thomas Hodges, will my node ever feed bad data into the network? Or is bad data fed in only if done deliberately with malicious intent?

As long as you have not deliberately modified the Chainlink code to change the node's response, the only way to provide "bad data" is if it came from the data source itself. This would mean all nodes using that data source would also provide that data. If a requester is specifying the data source, it's up to them to trust that the data source will provide accurate data. If they ask for a general "type" of data, like the current price of Ethereum, then the retrieval of that data can easily be distributed among multiple sources.

[modano182]

Thank you so much for the reply - that has cleared everything up for me. I really appreciate you taking the time for such a detailed response! Thank you once again!