I’ve been learning more about Polkadot nodes and validators recently, and I’m curious how demanding it actually is to run a node in practice.
Can it realistically run on regular home hardware for learning purposes, or does it usually require a much stronger setup?
The easy part: Fast memory, a fast SSD, and strong single-core performance.
Location-dependent: A solid fibre connection.
Honestly, most modern home PCs already have SSDs and decent RAM, so I guess the bigger question is how heavy it feels in daily use.
If I run a node on a regular home computer, does it usually consume most of the system resources, or can you still use the PC normally at the same time?
Just for learning purposes, I suppose that wouldn’t be an issue. For a production validator you want that to transmit, handle and process data without any lag.
Also, you could assign dedicated cores to the polkadot service to set priority if needed (provided the CPU has enough fast cores)