blockchain//Besu//node roles//full node

A full node is a blockchain node that stores and verifies the entire chain, downloading every block and validating every transaction, and it is the baseline that every other role in a network builds on. It has no special privileges of its own.

A full node is a blockchain node that stores and verifies the entire chain, downloading every block and validating every transaction, and it is the baseline that every other role in a network builds on. It has no special privileges of its own.

A validator is a full node with signing authority; an RPC node is a full node with an exposed API.

The word full sets it apart from light clients, which only fetch headers. Besu nodes are always full.

Every node in a private IBFT or QBFT network is a full node by default, so the distinction matters more in public chains.