The Bitcoin network has no hierarchy, but does have different types of Nodes fulfilling the required functions (as detailed above) to a greater or lesser extent.
- Full Nodes: All functions except creating new bitcoin
- Lightweight Nodes: Routing & Wallet (1 & 5)
- Miners: Issuance/Ordering; Routing & Full ledger (3,4 & 7)
- API Clients – Providing ready made connections to Bitcoin Core
- 3rd Party Services: Connecting to Bitcoin Core via API Clients or directly to Full Nodes to power external services
In the next article you’ll learn how the ways in which Nodes interact to make Bitcoin work. You’ll all begin to understand the opportunities for you to actively participate in running the Bitcoin ecosystem – by fulfilling one of those roles – as well as to maintain and improve the software and infrastructure that sits behind it.
Our overview of Bitcoin’s architecture – and subsequent articles – excludes the complexities of exactly how the protocol works. If the use of hashing, elliptic-curve cryptography or peer-to-peer networks is your bag then there are ways to actively participate in maintaining and improving the Bitcoin Protocol.
That will also be explained in the next article in this section..
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