> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.lumia.org/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.lumia.org/run-a-node.md).

# Run a node

**Who this is for:** operators who want to run their own Lumia infrastructure (a full RPC node, a validium node, or a DA light client) instead of relying on a public endpoint. By the end of this section you'll know which node type fits your use case, what hardware it needs, and where to go for setup and troubleshooting.

**Read this first.** This is the distinction that matters most on this page:

**Run a Node** (this section) is generic, self-run operator documentation. Nothing here has a price, a subscription, or a holder programme attached: you run the software on your own infrastructure and Lumia does not manage it for you. **Pulse > HyperNodes** is a different thing entirely: Lumia's *commercial* node product. If you're looking for that, go to [`/pulse/hypernodes`](https://app.gitbook.com/s/chmhPiVNAafGw48c4oU2/pulse/hypernodes).

### Lumia's node model, briefly

Lumia Prism runs on a Polygon CDK validium stack. There is no validator set and no consensus vote: one sequencer produces blocks, and correctness is enforced cryptographically: ZK proofs, not social agreement. Every node type documented in this section is a **read replica or verifier**, not a block producer. That means you can run any number of them without coordinating with anyone, but none of them make you part of block production. Components that do produce blocks or settle proofs (the sequencer, the aggregator) require privileged, key-gated access that Lumia does not currently offer to self-run operators.

### Node types

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>RPC node</strong></td><td>A full execution node that syncs Lumia state and serves standard JSON-RPC reads and transaction submission. What most operators want: a dapp backend, an indexer, or your own low-latency endpoint instead of a public one.</td><td><a href="https://app.gitbook.com/s/chmhPiVNAafGw48c4oU2/run-a-node/rpc-node/rpc-node-overview">https://app.gitbook.com/s/chmhPiVNAafGw48c4oU2/run-a-node/rpc-node/rpc-node-overview</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Validium node</strong></td><td>The validity-proving side of Lumia's architecture, and its relationship to the sequencer and to zkProvers. Read this before assuming it's a lighter version of the RPC node. It isn't.</td><td><a href="https://app.gitbook.com/s/chmhPiVNAafGw48c4oU2/run-a-node/zknode/zknode-overview">https://app.gitbook.com/s/chmhPiVNAafGw48c4oU2/run-a-node/zknode/zknode-overview</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>DA light client</strong></td><td>Verifies that batch data was actually made available without running a full node.</td><td><a href="https://app.gitbook.com/s/chmhPiVNAafGw48c4oU2/run-a-node/da-light-client/da-light-client-overview">https://app.gitbook.com/s/chmhPiVNAafGw48c4oU2/run-a-node/da-light-client/da-light-client-overview</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

{% hint style="warning" %}
Before deploying any of these, check [hardware requirements](https://app.gitbook.com/s/chmhPiVNAafGw48c4oU2/run-a-node/hardware-requirements): minimums differ a lot between node types, and one of them needs considerably more than a typical VPS.
{% endhint %}

### A note on ports vs. public endpoints

Running your own node exposes JSON-RPC on your own host: local ports you control and choose whether to publish. That is not the same thing as Lumia operating a public RPC/WSS endpoint for the network at large; the official public endpoint set lives in [`/reference/networks`](https://app.gitbook.com/s/chmhPiVNAafGw48c4oU2/reference/networks-and-endpoints), and Lumia's public WSS endpoint is not yet confirmed there. Don't treat "my node has a WSS port open" as equivalent to "Lumia publishes a WSS endpoint." They're independent facts.