---
title: Hardware requirements
description: Overview of the hardware needed to run an Ethereum node
---

The hardware requirements for running an Ethereum node depend upon the node configuration and can change over time as upgrades to the network are implemented. Ethereum nodes can be run on low power, resource-constrained devices such as Raspberry Pi's. Prebuilt, dedicated staking machines are available from several companies - these might be good choices for users who want plug-and-play hardware specifically designed for Ethereum. However, many users will choose to run nodes on laptop or desktop computers. Those users need to know the basic minimum requirements.

## Processor

It is preferable to use a quad-core (or dual-core hyperthreaded) CPU. Geth is released for a wide range of architectures.

## Memory

It is recommended to use at least 16GB RAM.

## Disk space

Disk space is usually the primary bottleneck for node operators. At the time of writing (September 2022) a 2TB SSD is recommended for a full node running Geth and a consensus client. Geth itself requires >650GB of disk space for a snap-synced full node and, with the default cache size, grows about 14GB/week. Pruning brings the total storage back down to the original 650GB.
Archive nodes require additional space. A "full" archive node that keeps all state back to genesis requires more than 12TB of space. Partial archive nodes can also be created by turning off the garbage collector after some initial sync - the storage requirement depends how much state is saved.

There are future updates to Ethereum that will reduce the amount of disk space required to run a node. In particular, [EIP-4444](https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-4444#preserving-historical-data) aims to bound the historical state stored by nodes and instead make it available from offchain storage (e.g. torrents or IPFS).

As well as storage capacity, Geth nodes rely on fast read and write operations. This means HDDs and cheaper HDDS struggle to sync the blockchain. There is a list of SSD models that can and cannot sync Geth in this [Github Gist](https://gist.github.com/yorickdowne/f3a3e79a573bf35767cd002cc977b038).

## Bandwidth

It is important to have a stable and reliable internet connection, especially for running a validator because downtime can result in missed rewards or penalties. It is recommended to have at least 25Mbps download speed to run a node. Running a node also requires a lot of data to be uploaded and downloaded so it is better to use a ISP that does not have a capped data allowance.
