Hardware & system requirements

Despite being catered towards home-staking, running an ETH validator node reliably still requires some thought on the choice of hardware. To run this locally in your own home, your hardware will need to meet the following requirements.

Minimum requirements

1. CPU: Quad core

2. RAM: 32GB

3. Storage: 2TB NVME SSD, >5000 read IOPS, >1700 write IOPS, non-QLC

4. Network requirements (Check with ISP):

   • Volume: Uncapped or at least 2 TB per month

   • Speeds: At least 500mb/s shared - *Your validator node needs at least 10Mb/s of dedicated internet speed

   • IP address: Static if possible

5. Power: Uninterruptible power supply (UPS)

"Fuss-free" requirements

1. Storage: 4TB NVME SSD, >5000 read IOPS, >1700 write IOPS, non-QLC

2. Everything else on par with the minimum requirements above

How each component affects performance

Component	Impact on performance
CPU	Affects block execution speed (4s limit) Will miss attestations and block proposals if this is too slow This is one of the more expensive component
RAM	Services will shutdown/restart abruptly if the device runs out of memory, causing you to lose data. This can lead to database corruption, and in the worst case, require you to resync your validator node from scratch - missing attestations for 2 to 3 days in the meantime. As the Ethereum network grows with more activity (e.g., more addresses, smart contracts, & transactions), there will be an increasing demand on your node's memory to maintain the chain state and propagate transactions to other nodes. Go crazy on this if needed as it is the cheapest component.
Storage	Read and write speeds (IOPS) are the main bottleneck for block execution speeds This is one of the more expensive component
Network	Affects latency on receiving/sending blocks, which affects overall block execution speed (4s limit) Although not compulsory, having a static IP address improves discoverability by other nodes in the network and prevents issues of low peer count Some ISPs also prevent port forwarding (for remote access to your node) if you don't have a static IP address
Power	Sudden power disruptions - e.g. lightning, power trips - will cause your node to shutdown uncleanly, causing you to lose data. This can lead to database corruption, and in the worst case, require you to resync your validator node from scratch - missing attestations for 2 to 3 days in the meantime.