Crypto node hosting is one of those workloads that quietly punishes cut corners. A full node isn't a web app that sits idle between requests — it syncs a growing chain to disk, gossips with dozens of peers around the clock, and, if you're validating, it cannot miss its attestation window. These are notes from the rack on running a full node or validator 24/7 on a VPS: what actually bottlenecks, how we size per chain, and the point where you should stop fighting a VPS and move to bare metal.
What crypto node hosting actually stresses
Three resources decide whether a node stays healthy. First, disk IOPS during sync — the initial block download and, worse, the ongoing state writes. Chains like Ethereum's execution layer thrash random reads and writes against a multi-hundred-gigabyte state trie; spinning disks or network-attached block storage fall behind and never catch up. Every tier we sell is NVMe for exactly this reason. Second, bandwidth — a node maintains many simultaneous peer connections, and both directions matter because you're serving blocks and state to peers as much as pulling them. Metered or asymmetric links throttle you into peer-count limits. Third, uptime and clock discipline for validators, where a few minutes offline is a missed reward or a penalty.
Our VPS lineup is built around the first two: NVMe on every tier, and 1 Gbps unmetered symmetric so peer traffic in and out never counts against a cap. You get root SSH, KVM virtualization, IPv4 and IPv6, and a median deploy of 47 seconds when you need to spin a second node fast.
Why NVMe and symmetric bandwidth are non-negotiable
Sync time is dominated by disk. On NVMe an execution-layer sync that would take days on slower storage finishes in a fraction of the time, and — more importantly — the node keeps pace with the chain head instead of drifting behind under normal write pressure. For archive workloads the IOPS demand is relentless, which is where a VPS eventually hits its ceiling (more on that below).
Bandwidth is the other half. A well-connected node holds dozens of peers; each peer relationship is bidirectional gossip. Symmetric unmetered means your upload — the direction most consumer and metered plans starve — is as fat as your download. That keeps your peer count high, your propagation fast, and, for a validator, your attestations landing on time. Full connectivity details are on our network page: 13 POPs, 15 IXs, 34+ carriers, and sub-5ms intra-EU latency across the ring.
Static IPs and own-AS routing stability
Every instance ships with static IPv4 and IPv6. That matters more for nodes than for most workloads — peers remember you, some validator setups and monitoring pin to an address, and a static endpoint keeps your node discoverable instead of churning identities on every restart.
Underneath, we route on our own AS60982 — not a reseller path stitched together from someone else's transit. Owning the AS means the route to your node is ours to keep stable: consistent paths, direct peering at the exchanges, and no surprise reroutes from an upstream we don't control. For node operators that translates into steady latency to peers and fewer of the transient network blips that show up as dropped peer connections. If you already announce your own space, our BGP and BYOIP supports announcing your prefixes on AS60982 so you can bring it with you.
Per-chain sizing
Sizing a node is mostly about disk headroom and RAM for the client's caches. We don't publish per-chain byte counts because they climb every month — check your client's current requirements — but here's how our tiers map to the shape of the work.
| Node profile | What it needs | Where to start |
|---|---|---|
| Light / pruned node (single chain) | Modest RAM, NVMe, steady peers | VPS II — 4GB / 2 vCPU / 80GB |
| Full node, mainstream L1 | More RAM for state cache, larger NVMe | VPS III — 8GB / 2 vCPU / 120GB |
| Validator + full node pair | Headroom so consensus and execution don't contend | VPS V — 16GB / 4 vCPU / 200GB |
| Heavy full node / multiple chains | Top-tier RAM, CPU, and disk | VPS VI — 32GB / 6 vCPU / 400GB |
Because billing is hourly and to the second, you can bring up a bigger tier for the initial sync, confirm the node is healthy, and settle into a size that matches its steady-state footprint without paying for a month you didn't use. The full ladder and pricing sit on the VPS hosting page.
Running a validator 24/7
A validator node in Europe lives or dies by two things a VPS controls well: uninterrupted uptime and low, stable latency to the rest of the network. We back every instance with a 99.9% SLA and free 1 Tbps DDoS protection at L3/4/7 with sub-8-second detection, so a volumetric attack against your endpoint doesn't knock you offline during a duty. Keep your keys on the box you control, keep the clock disciplined with NTP, and let the symmetric link and own-AS routing keep your attestations propagating. Static IPs mean your validator's network identity stays put across reboots and client upgrades.
When to jump to bare metal
A VPS is the right tool for most full nodes and validators. Archive nodes are where it stops being the right tool. An archive node keeps every historical state and hammers disk with sustained random IOPS that a shared virtual host can't guarantee — you want dedicated NVMe and no noisy neighbors. That's the signal to move to dedicated hardware: single-tenant machines from a Dual Xeon E5-2630v4 (16c/32t, 128GB) up to Dual EPYC 9754 (256c/512t, 1TB), with ports from 1 up to 200 Gbps symmetric, a /29 of IPv4, and BGP on AS60982 on request. Multiple heavy chains on one operator, or an RPC endpoint serving real traffic, are the same story — the guaranteed resources of dedicated hardware beat fighting for IOPS on a VPS.
How Noded Can Help
We run our own network — AS60982, NVMe everywhere, unmetered symmetric bandwidth, and free 1 Tbps DDoS on every product — which is most of what a node operator is shopping for anyway. Start on a VPS sized to your chain, scale the tier up for the initial sync and back down for steady state since we bill hourly to the second, and move to dedicated when an archive node or RPC endpoint outgrows shared IOPS. If you already run your own address space, we can announce it on AS60982 through our BYOIP path — and we're happy to talk sizing before you commit.
FAQ
Can I run an Ethereum node on a VPS?
Yes. A full Ethereum node runs comfortably on a VPS with NVMe and enough RAM for the client's state cache — we'd start at VPS III (8GB / 2 vCPU / 120GB) and move up to VPS V or VI if you're pairing execution and consensus clients or want more headroom. NVMe is the key requirement so the node keeps pace with the chain head.
Is a VPS enough for a Bitcoin full node?
For a standard Bitcoin full node, yes — the workload is lighter on IOPS than an Ethereum execution node, and a mid-tier NVMe VPS with our unmetered symmetric bandwidth handles the peer traffic without issue. Pruned nodes fit on smaller tiers still.
Do you support running a validator node in Europe?
Yes. Our POPs are EU-based with sub-5ms intra-EU latency, static IPv4 and IPv6 per instance, a 99.9% SLA, and free 1 Tbps DDoS protection — the conditions a validator needs to keep attestations landing on time. Keep your keys on the instance you control.
When should I move a node from a VPS to bare metal?
Move when you're running an archive node, several heavy chains on one machine, or a public RPC endpoint under real load. Those need sustained, guaranteed IOPS and no noisy neighbors — that's dedicated hardware territory, starting at EUR209/mo, with ports up to 200 Gbps and BGP on AS60982.
Do node instances come with static IPs?
Every VPS ships with static IPv4 and IPv6. That keeps your node discoverable to peers across reboots and client upgrades, and gives validators and monitoring a fixed endpoint to pin to.