Nodes

A node is software that stores (some or all) ledger data and checks that new transactions and blocks follow the rules. A full node keeps a fuller history; many phone wallets ask a node instead of storing everything.

If you only trust one website’s node, you only trust that website’s story about your balance.

A node is a computer running the network’s software. It connects to other nodes, receives transactions and new blocks, and checks each one against the rules: Is the signature valid? Does the sender have the funds? Was the fee paid? Anything that fails is rejected, no matter who sent it.

Nodes then pass along what they have checked to their neighbors, so news spreads across the network like a rumor through a town, except every listener double-checks it. Some nodes keep the full history; others keep only recent data. Phone wallets usually do not run a node at all. They ask one, so they are only as honest as the node they ask.

Real example: on the XRP Ledger, the server software is called rippled. Most servers track the ledger and relay messages without voting. A smaller group runs as validators that take part in consensus. Each server shares signed messages from others through peer-to-peer gossip, so servers can hear validators they are not directly connected to. Sources: Consensus Protocol, Server Modes.