IOTA Nodes

This article is a translation of the German IOTA Beginner’s Guide by .

IOTA networks consist of interconnected nodes running the same node software. This software allows read / write access to the tangle, validation of transactions, and storage of transactions in their local ledgers.

Incentives to run your own full node:

Instant overview of status (online/offline)
Complete control over access and therefore to the data in the Tangle
Complete control over the storage of your own transaction history; keyword: Snapshot and Permanode
Infrastructure support: the more nodes there are, the more decentralized the network
As of IOTA 2.0, money can be earned by renting out Mana (Mana-as-a-Service)
Only those who operate their own node can always be sure that reserved capacity / bandwidth is available for themselves and, if necessary, their own customers
If the network is busy and still many transactions are to be made in a short time, from IOTA 2.0 onwards it may be necessary to pay for the use of other nodes with Mana in order to get priority over other transactions (see here). However, those who operate their own node and also hold IOTA tokens will always produce enough Mana to be given preference in transactions in the event of congestion.

Overview of current full nodes:

IRI (IOTA 1.0 / out of service)

IOTA Reference Implementation, Java programming language, the first core client, on 11 Dec ’19 Hornet was added as the second core client. IRI is now outdated and was removed with the Crysalis update, see here.

Hornet Fullnode (IOTA 1.5)

Completely new implementation of the core client in the Go programming language. The goal is to have a new core client which will contribute massively to the scaling of the network with a significantly increased performance. Hornet will use the architecture and modular concept of GoShimmer and is intended for low-end devices like a Raspberry Pi. Furthermore the coordinator will also run as a plugin on top of Hornet for a few months.

GoShimmer

Prototype of Shimmer in the Go programming language. Consensus is already achieved with this node-testing software without a coordinator. GoShimmer implements the various modules of Coordicide, such as autopeering, node identities, Mana, etc. GoShimmer serves as a test environment for the first alpha version and the test network. Everything tested here will gradually be merged with Hornet and later implemented in Bee.

Bee (IOTA 2.0)

Production-ready implementation of the core client without coordinator in the Rust programming language. All previous developments and ideas from IRI, Ict, Hornet and GoShimmer will be merged into a unified platform. Bee will not only be a node software, it will be a kind of platform, which can also be used for clients or applications.

You can also find out more about the Bee Rust-Framework.

Wasp

Wasp is a node for smart contracts. The IOTA Smart Contract Protocol (ISCP) is a 2nd-layer protocol built on top of the core protocol and executed by GoShimmer nodes. The development of this protocol will be fully decoupled into a separate node called Wasp. Wasp will connect to GoShimmer nodes to gain access to the Tangle.

Chronicle Permanode

The official Permanode solution of the IOTA Foundation. It allows to store all transactions reaching a node in a distributed database that is secure and scales well. Chronicle is used to store the Tangle’s unlimited data flow and make it queryable. In other words, it enables unlimited storage of the Tangle’s entire history and makes this data easily accessible.

Original source

https://iota-einsteiger-guide.de/entwicklungen-netzwerk-nodes.html

Last Updated on 16. February 2021