What is a node?
A node is the software you run to join the Morpheum network: it synchronizes state, participates in peer-to-peer networking, and—depending on role—may take part in consensus or serve public APIs. You pick a role when you first set up the machine; the role determines what the node is allowed to do, how it should be exposed on the network, and how much history it keeps. This section is for operators and integrators who need to deploy and run nodes, not for low-level implementation details.Choosing a role
| Role | Best for | Consensus | Typical network posture |
|---|---|---|---|
| Validator | Securing the chain and executing the canonical state transition | Yes | Private peers only; do not expose public RPC here |
| Full | Indexers, apps, and teams that need current chain state without voting | No | Private or team-scoped access |
| Sentry | Public RPC and WebSocket traffic in front of validators | No | Internet-facing; rate limits and DDoS protection |
| Archive | Analytics, explorers, and workflows that need deep history | No | Often API-oriented; large storage |
| AgentPortal | Low-latency AI and agent workloads against the network | No | Tuned for agent traffic and portal features |
Where to go next
DIY stack setup
Self-build, colocation, OS baseline, and networking before you deploy by role.
Cloud
VPCs, instance classes, storage, and security patterns for cloud deployments.
Command-line interface
Initialize a data directory, run the node, snapshots, genesis helpers, and agent-related commands.
Deploy a validator
Keys, private peering, and running a consensus node safely.
Deploy a full node
Default-style node for operators and indexers.
Deploy a sentry
Public gateway in front of validators.
Deploy an archive node
Long retention and historical queries.
Deploy an agent portal
AI- and agent-optimized deployment.