Post
Topic
Board Development & Technical Discussion
Re: Can I just run a pruned node without downloading historical data?
by
DaveF
on 10/10/2021, 12:44:48 UTC
The cost of hardware is not the only cost of running a full node. Users must also have an internet connection that is sufficient to handle block downloads and the initial blockchain sync. For most of the "first world", this is not an issue as users will have an existing broadband connection they use and need for other reasons. There are "data caps" in some parts of the world that limit the amount of data a customer can transfer per month without paying an overage fee. If you have a data cap, there is a good chance the 350 GB initial blockchain download will exceed your cap, as there are very few legitimate reasons to need to download that much data in one month (the initial blockchain download is probably the only legitimate reason for most non-business users of an internet connection).

Lots of vides streaming services easily push more data then that per month to customers.
There are other solutions for the IBD and connection to the blockchain in general

https://store.blockstream.com/product-category/satellite_kits/

But they are not cheap, if you are having trouble getting the $200 together to build a node then $500 to get a satellite kit is probably too much.

-Dave