Nodes play a crucial role in supporting the operation of the network and verifying transactions. Here are the key aspects of a node:

Network Participation: A node actively participates in the cryptocurrency network, maintaining connections with other nodes and relaying information about transactions and blocks.

Transaction Verification: Each node verifies transactions that are broadcasted to the network, ensuring their validity and compliance with the protocol rules.

Blockchain Storage: Nodes store a full copy of the blockchain, which is the sequential chain of blocks containing the entire history of transactions since the cryptocurrency's inception.

Mining: Some nodes may also participate in the mining process, where they compete to create new blocks and validate transactions in the network.

Types of Nodes: Nodes can be categorized as full nodes (with a complete copy of the blockchain), lightweight nodes (with minimal data storage requirements), and mining nodes (dedicated to mining activities).