What is Polygon Node: Requirements, Rewards, and How to Run

Polygon is a blockchain network, designed as the Ethereum scaling solution, which addresses the problems of its high gas fees and low transaction bandwidth. It works on the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) and it is compatible with Ethereum and its other layer-2 (L2) solutions using bridges.

Let’s dive deeper into its functionalities and start with the definition of its nodes.

What is a Polygon node?

A blockchain node is a computer server that runs blockchain software, stores its transactions, and proceeds with requests. Hence, the MATIC node is the server that runs Polygon’s source code. To utilize it, users need an RPC endpoint, which enables them to interact with the blockchain using the network methods.

Source: GetBlock

GetBlock offers a variety of Polygon (MATIC) RPC nodes for different purposes, including shared and dedicated nodes.

What is a Polygon (MATIC)?

Polygon is a fully EVM-compatible Ethereum scaling solution, while MATIC is a native network token. Polygon tokens are stored on addresses which look similar to Ethereum addresses, and they can be swapped with Ethereum and other L2 using bridges and paying gas fees. It has its own developed infrastructure, with DeFis, dApps, tokens, and NFTs.

The Polygon node structure is quite unique compared to other networks, as it has different node types: Heimdall, Bor, sentry, and validator nodes. They all are used to maintain the network and its connection with Ethereum. Let’s look closer at Polygon node requirements and peculiarities.

What is a Heimdall node?

Heimdall is the Polygon validator layer, so its users can validate the state of the network, earning rewards. They use this Polygon node and stake MATIC tokens on Heimdall’s staking module, which then sends transactions to the Ethereum network, validating it and ensuring its functionality.

That’s how Polygon realizes its mission as the Ethereum scaling solution, ensuring its functionality while expanding its capabilities.

What is a Bor node?

Bor is another specific Polygon layer which is responsible for block production. According to the Polygon Foundation, validators who operate on Bor MATIC Polygon nodes are eligible to participate in this process, with the probability of being chosen proportional to the amount of MATIC they stake.

Therefore, both Heimdall and Bor nodes are necessary to validate the network. Let’s move on and see how they are used.

What is a Polygon full node?

A full node contains all transactions that have ever been made since the blockchain network’s launch. It’s usually very large in terms of file size and computational resources needed to proceed with it, and as the blockchain is used, the full node becomes larger and larger.

Pruned Node

To avoid overcomplication, blockchain users can deploy a pruned node, which is essentially a full node with the most irrelevant information being removed. Usually, it’s enough for developers and blockchain researchers.

Polygon archive node

Unlike a pruned node, an archive node contains all data that was recorded in the blockchain, from the very beginning of the network, while updating after each transaction. Therefore, it can be used to validate the Polygon network state at any given time moment.

Sentry node

A sentry node is a full node with both Heimdall and Bor nodes software installed, so it can participate in the Polygon chain validation and new block creation. It’s the required component of the validator node that will be discussed below: a node that contributes to the whole network’s operation.

Polygon full node requirements

Running the full node requires extensive computational capacities, as it means storing and proceeding with the large amount of data. The official Polygon Foundation requirements are at least 4 CPUs/cores, 16 GB of RAM, and from 2.5 to 5 terabytes of SSD memory.

A short comparison of Polygon nodes is provided below.

The Polygon light node is enough for most of the development and exploring purposes. So, it’s no reason to launch a full node unless a user wants to dive deep into the blockchain history for research purposes or become a validator. Developers can use a light or pruned node instead, based on the amount of information they need for their applications.

Polygon validator node

As one can see, Polygon have different layers and nodes to maintain its performance, but what is a validator node? It is similar to a sentry node, with both Bor and Heimdall running on it, but it operates as a connection with Ethereum. So, it uses Ethereum RPC, rather than Polygon, and receives requests from a sentry node to maintain the network state.

Source: Polygon Foundation

Being a validator requires extensive preparation, which is described in detail in official guidelines. Validators stake MATIC and send the current Polygon’s network state to Ethereum, ensuring that both networks operate properly. They can set commission rates and obtain MATIC tokens as a reward for their activities.

Polygon validator node requirements

The official Polygon requirements for becoming a validator can be summarized as follows.

• Meeting all hardware requirements for running a full node.
• Having two machines for running full nodes: for sentry and validator node.
• Opening and configuring machines’ ports.
• Having required RPC endpoints: Ethereum for validator, and Polygon for sentry.
• Having Polygon snapshots downloaded.
• Installing the RabbitMQ software for node management.
• Installing Bor and Heimdall services on both machines.
• Following the validator’s requirements and best practices provided by the Polygon Foundation.

There aren’t specific requirements for the MATIC and ETH amount necessary to become a validator: they just need at least 1 MATIC and enough ETH to pay gas fees. Still, as one can see, it requires robust hardware and high software literacy. While you can run a Polygon node by yourself, it may be a much better option to use the node provider service.

What is a dedicated Polygon node?

A dedicated node is essentially your personal server for communicating with the blockchain. As no other users have access to it, it can operate on maximum speed, being able to proceed thousands of requests instantly. Therefore, such nodes are indispensable for large-scale dApps and services, used by thousands of customers.

How to run the Polygon node?

Whether you want to implement blockchain in your app or become a validator, you need a node. You need the RPC MATIC endpoint and the coding environment to insert blockchain requests using the network methods. While you can use the node provider to make it easier for you, it’s still important to use blockchain methods properly when running the node.

Step-by-step guide

Thus, for the most cases, such as blockchain app development, you don’t need a full node that you deploy by yourself. So, let’s see an action algorithm that must be deployed to run Polygon node using the GetBlock access token.

1. Get a GetBlock Polygon mainnet endpoint in the GetBlock user dashboard to have the access token. You can also use the MATIC testnet RPC and obtain test tokens via our faucet but remember that they have no real-world price and value.
2. Make an RPC call using your access token and the Polygon methods. Use our Postman workspace guide to understand how to make calls.
3. Check Web3 libraries, such as Ethers.js and Web3.js, to implement automated MATIC RPC calls in your application where necessary, finishing the node implementation.

After the Polygon node setup, you can use it for blockchain testing, running your own dApp, more efficient Polygon tokens trading, or MATIC staking.

How to make RPC calls?

An RPC call is how you connect with the network to retrieve some information from it, write it into the blockchain, sign a smart contract, or perform another function provided by the network. That’s how you run nodes.

To make a MATIC RPC node call, you need to have the node endpoint, which you can obtain at GetBlock for free. Once connecting it to your wallet, such as MetaMask, you can use the eth_accounts method to retrieve the wallet addresses connected to the endpoint.

Would you like to know how to add GetBlock endpoints to MetaMask? Check our guidelines!

As you have your Polygon MATIC node endpoint, use the following script in your code:

curl --location --request POST 'https://go.getblock.io//' 
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' 
--data-raw {
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "method": "eth_accounts",
    "params": [],
    "id": "getblock.io"
}

The result will be:

{
    "id": "getblock.io",
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "result": []
}

Use the GetBlock MATIC network RPC methods to learn more about methods used in the Polygon network for different purposes, and feel free to experiment with them!

Polygon node rewards

GetBlock is a top blockchain provider, with 99.99% uptime for most of its nodes and transparent pricing, where you pay only for requests you use for connecting the blockchain. Now, we have a welcome reward: a 30—50% discount for all new users who purchase our shared nodes in the first 7 days after registration!

Let’s look closer.

Shared nodes can be used by multiple users, so their request speed is limited. While we provide 40,000 requests for free each day with Polygon public nodes, at a 60 RPS speed, the true GetBlock potential is revealed when using our paid solutions. Starting from $29/month, it provides from 5 to 100 million requests per month, with 200 RPS speed, while unused requests are automatically moved to the next month if you prolong the subscription.

You’ll have 30% bonus when purchasing the smallest plan, which scales up to 50% for the larger plans.

Flexible pricing

Dedicated Polygon nodes are fully private and used only by the customer who purchased it, so here you have unlimited request number and speed, being able to scale your application indefinitely. Their price start from $600/month, according to your business size and needs.

DEDICATED NODE

Private server with custom settings

Requests

Unlimited

Rate Limit

Unlimited

Data

Archive

Starting at

$

600

/ month

Start building

For large enterprise solutions, which handle tens of thousands of clients each day, we have enterprise solutions at a negotiable price. With such large-scale Polygon crypto nodes, a user obtains the customized infrastructure with unlimited request number and speed, and we also provide guaranteed service level agreements (SLAs).

MATIC nodes of different types can be used for a vast number of goals, from exploring and creating Polygon dApps to validating the blockchain and contributing to its growth and development. GetBlock has solutions for different developers, validators, traders, and blockchain enthusiasts, which scale along with their projects and activities. Choose the plan that works best for your Polygon RPC node now, and get up to 50% benefit from the first month!