Run a Node
— Serve fresh reads, sign your answers, earn for keeping the mesh honest.
The Pluid mesh is open: anyone can run a node, stake into it, and serve reads. Operators are the read layer — geo-distributed boxes that resolve chain state, anchor it to a slot, and sign a proof-of-serve receipt for every answer.
What a Node Does
- Maintains a fresh view of chain state for the reads it serves.
- Resolves requests and stamps each answer with the observed slot.
- Signs a receipt over the canonical answer digest with its registered key.
- Reports health so the router can steer traffic to fresh, responsive nodes.
Requirements
| Resource | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Stake | $PLUID | Bonded against your answers. Sets your routing weight and reward share. |
| Network | low latency | Stable, high-bandwidth connectivity close to the users you serve. |
| Compute | SSD + cores | Enough to keep state fresh and answer reads with low tail latency. |
| Signing key | ed25519 | Registered with the network; used to sign every proof-of-serve receipt. |
The Operating Loop
request → resolve against fresh state → stamp slot → sign receipt → respond
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report health to routerThe router prefers nodes that are fresh, fast, and well-staked. Consistently serving fresh, correctly signed answers grows your share of routed traffic and rewards.
Staking & Rewards
Stake $PLUID to join. Rewards accrue for serving fresh, verifiable reads; provably stale or incorrect answers — caught because every receipt is independently checkable — are slashable. The economics tie directly to the same proof-of-serve scheme clients use to verify you.
Verifiability Is the Contract
Because every answer ships a receipt anyone can verify, the network does not have to trust operators — it can check them. A node’s reputation is the verifiable history of fresh, correctly signed reads it has served. Register your ed25519 key, keep state fresh, and the mesh routes to you.