From 4785bb0939d89b7770ebbd18441859732a412b25 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: delovoyhomie Date: Tue, 13 Jan 2026 22:03:43 +0300 Subject: [PATCH 1/7] feat: Add a high-level definition of workchains --- start-here.mdx | 7 +++++++ 1 file changed, 7 insertions(+) diff --git a/start-here.mdx b/start-here.mdx index ac87d1b0e..8d62710fe 100644 --- a/start-here.mdx +++ b/start-here.mdx @@ -39,6 +39,13 @@ The other network is _testnet_, and it is used by TON developers to check that t Usually when the TON blockchain gets an update, it is first deployed to testnet, and then to mainnet after a brief period of testing, so sometimes they may run different software. Also their [configuration](/foundations/config), availability, and throughput might be different. + + Each network is split into [workchains](/foundations/shards) that can freely interact with each other, but their implementations may differ significantly. At the moment, there are two workchains: _basechain_ (`workchain_id = 0`) for regular use, and a very similar _masterchain_ (`workchain_id = -1`) for TON's [internal](/payments/overview#transaction-finality) [bookkeeping](/foundations/system). The masterchain follows mostly the same rules, except that using it is more expensive to limit the amount of traffic that interferes with TON's internals. From e528facb125af973eb44b28c31d8bb1e4a4b03a9 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: delovoyhomie Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2026 00:09:28 +0300 Subject: [PATCH 2/7] Revert "feat: Add a high-level definition of workchains" This reverts commit 4785bb0939d89b7770ebbd18441859732a412b25. --- start-here.mdx | 7 ------- 1 file changed, 7 deletions(-) diff --git a/start-here.mdx b/start-here.mdx index 8d62710fe..ac87d1b0e 100644 --- a/start-here.mdx +++ b/start-here.mdx @@ -39,13 +39,6 @@ The other network is _testnet_, and it is used by TON developers to check that t Usually when the TON blockchain gets an update, it is first deployed to testnet, and then to mainnet after a brief period of testing, so sometimes they may run different software. Also their [configuration](/foundations/config), availability, and throughput might be different. - - Each network is split into [workchains](/foundations/shards) that can freely interact with each other, but their implementations may differ significantly. At the moment, there are two workchains: _basechain_ (`workchain_id = 0`) for regular use, and a very similar _masterchain_ (`workchain_id = -1`) for TON's [internal](/payments/overview#transaction-finality) [bookkeeping](/foundations/system). The masterchain follows mostly the same rules, except that using it is more expensive to limit the amount of traffic that interferes with TON's internals. From 07c5aea30ceb9587555fbff9712a51ac20bd0a09 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: delovoyhomie Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2026 01:00:30 +0300 Subject: [PATCH 3/7] feat: new article what is a node --- what-is-a-node.mdx | 53 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 53 insertions(+) create mode 100644 what-is-a-node.mdx diff --git a/what-is-a-node.mdx b/what-is-a-node.mdx new file mode 100644 index 000000000..e4e921bc5 --- /dev/null +++ b/what-is-a-node.mdx @@ -0,0 +1,53 @@ +--- +title: "What is a node?" +description: "Understand nodes, validators, and how apps reach the TON network." +--- + +import { Image } from "/snippets/image.jsx"; + +A node is a server running TON blockchain software. It stores the chain state, verifies blocks and transactions, and propagates new data to other nodes and clients. + +This matters when deciding whether to rely on a public API or run infrastructure, and when tracing how a wallet action becomes an on-chain transaction. + +## What a node does + +A _full node_ keeps the latest blockchain state and relays blocks and messages across the peer-to-peer network. A _validator_ is a full node that participates in consensus and produces blocks. Many full nodes also expose a _liteserver_ endpoint so wallets and apps can query data or submit messages without running a full node themselves. + +TON also has _lite clients_. They do not store chain state locally. Instead, they request the data they need from liteserver-enabled full nodes. + +## Node types and roles + +- **Full node** — stores the latest state and propagates blocks and messages. See [Node roles and modes](/ecosystem/node/overview). +- **Archive node** — a full node that keeps the entire history for analytics and explorers. See [Node roles and modes](/ecosystem/node/overview). +- **Validator node** — produces blocks and participates in consensus. See [Running a validator](/ecosystem/node/run-validator). +- **Liteserver** — a mode that exposes a gateway for lite clients and APIs. See [Interacting with TON nodes](/ecosystem/node/overview#interacting-with-ton-nodes). + +## Who runs nodes + +- **Validators** — stake Toncoin, participate in consensus, and produce blocks. +- **Infrastructure providers** — run full nodes and liteservers to back APIs. +- **Explorers and indexers** — run archive nodes to serve historical data. +- **Projects and exchanges** — run nodes for reliable, low-latency access. +- **Community operators** — add connectivity and redundancy to the network. + +## How apps reach the network + +Wallets and dApps act as lite clients: they do not keep chain state locally and instead connect to an [API provider](/ecosystem/api/overview) or a liteserver gateway. The gateway forwards requests to full nodes. Validators are the subset of nodes that finalize new blocks, and the results propagate back through the network. + +Flow from a user wallet or dApp through an API or liteserver gateway to TON full nodes and validators. + +## Run your own node (optional) + +Use public APIs for prototypes and light workloads. Run a full node when an app needs guaranteed uptime or direct access to the network. + +- [Set up a node with MyTonCtrl](/ecosystem/node/setup-mytonctrl) +- [Set up a local network with MyLocalTon](/ecosystem/node/setup-mylocalton) + +## See also + +- [Node roles and modes](/ecosystem/node/overview) +- [Running a validator](/ecosystem/node/run-validator) +- [Liteserver mode](/ecosystem/node/overview#interacting-with-ton-nodes) From a9b929dba7a0f6556359aaa4a1b458eae501319c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: delovoyhomie Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2026 01:08:43 +0300 Subject: [PATCH 4/7] node files --- docs.json | 1 + resources/images/nodes/node-flow.svg | 44 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2 files changed, 45 insertions(+) create mode 100644 resources/images/nodes/node-flow.svg diff --git a/docs.json b/docs.json index d18c8123d..d0bf4feae 100644 --- a/docs.json +++ b/docs.json @@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ "navigation": { "pages": [ "start-here", + "what-is-a-node", "get-support", "from-ethereum", "more-tutorials", diff --git a/resources/images/nodes/node-flow.svg b/resources/images/nodes/node-flow.svg new file mode 100644 index 000000000..b54d7eb66 --- /dev/null +++ b/resources/images/nodes/node-flow.svg @@ -0,0 +1,44 @@ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + User / Wallet + DApp + + + + API provider + Liteserver (gateway) + + + + TON nodes + (full nodes) + + + + Validators + (subset) + + From bddfeef93e3eda44dda8744320e9ffd4833d3c2b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Slava Yakimenko <92427892+delovoyhomie@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2026 03:55:35 +0300 Subject: [PATCH 5/7] Update what-is-a-node.mdx Co-authored-by: github-actions[bot] <41898282+github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com> --- what-is-a-node.mdx | 2 +- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/what-is-a-node.mdx b/what-is-a-node.mdx index e4e921bc5..1fa2063f3 100644 --- a/what-is-a-node.mdx +++ b/what-is-a-node.mdx @@ -1,6 +1,6 @@ --- title: "What is a node?" -description: "Understand nodes, validators, and how apps reach the TON network." +description: "Overview of TON nodes, validator roles, and how apps connect to the network." --- import { Image } from "/snippets/image.jsx"; From 2d313355e1945377c9b5316781504660d62acb3f Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Slava Yakimenko <92427892+delovoyhomie@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2026 03:56:12 +0300 Subject: [PATCH 6/7] Update what-is-a-node.mdx Co-authored-by: github-actions[bot] <41898282+github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com> --- what-is-a-node.mdx | 1 - 1 file changed, 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/what-is-a-node.mdx b/what-is-a-node.mdx index 1fa2063f3..164587402 100644 --- a/what-is-a-node.mdx +++ b/what-is-a-node.mdx @@ -27,7 +27,6 @@ TON also has _lite clients_. They do not store chain state locally. Instead, the - **Validators** — stake Toncoin, participate in consensus, and produce blocks. - **Infrastructure providers** — run full nodes and liteservers to back APIs. - **Explorers and indexers** — run archive nodes to serve historical data. -- **Projects and exchanges** — run nodes for reliable, low-latency access. - **Community operators** — add connectivity and redundancy to the network. ## How apps reach the network From 5e28c308cdcfefc203ab1e50c7d0a2ee82ac740d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Slava Yakimenko <92427892+delovoyhomie@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2026 03:57:22 +0300 Subject: [PATCH 7/7] Update what-is-a-node.mdx Co-authored-by: github-actions[bot] <41898282+github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com> --- what-is-a-node.mdx | 2 +- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/what-is-a-node.mdx b/what-is-a-node.mdx index 164587402..f993a1f61 100644 --- a/what-is-a-node.mdx +++ b/what-is-a-node.mdx @@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ Wallets and dApps act as lite clients: they do not keep chain state locally and ## Run your own node (optional) -Use public APIs for prototypes and light workloads. Run a full node when an app needs guaranteed uptime or direct access to the network. +Use public APIs for prototypes and light workloads. Full nodes typically back apps that require stricter uptime targets or direct access to the network. - [Set up a node with MyTonCtrl](/ecosystem/node/setup-mytonctrl) - [Set up a local network with MyLocalTon](/ecosystem/node/setup-mylocalton)