Node Provider Roadmap

Introduction

The Internet Computer is a decentralized network of nodes running the Internet Computer protocol. These nodes are owned by Node Providers who receive rewards for their nodes' useful work. Individuals or organizations can become Node Providers through submitting a proposal to the Network Nervous System (NNS), the Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) that governs the Internet Computer.

The more diverse the set of Node Providers who supply node machines, the more resilient the Internet Computer is. You can support the Internet Computer and the IC community by becoming a Node Provider and increasing decentralization.

Roadmap

The Node Provider roadmap outlines what is required of Node Providers, the reward model of the Internet Computer, guidance on hardware acquisition and data center contracts, in-depth best practices, node onboarding procedures, and much more.

There are five Node Provider milestones to go from scratch to being a Node Provider. Finally, the sixth milestone covers node management and maintenance once you're a Node Provider.

• Milestone One: Education
  • Here, you will learn more about the Internet Computer and the rewards/obligations of being a Node Provider.
• Milestone Two: Requirements
  • Here, you will learn more about the specific skill, hardware, networking, and data center requirements, as well as some best practices regarding decentralization and security.
• Milestone Three: Node Provider Onboarding
  • Here, you will gain approval by the NNS DAO to be a Node Provider.
• Milestone Four: Node Onboarding Preparation Checklist
  • Here, you will be guided on how to obtain the necessary requirements necessary to onboard nodes.
• Milestone Five: Node Onboarding
  • Here, you will onboard your nodes to the Internet Computer.
• Milestone Six: Node Management
  • Here, you will find important guidance and resources on managing and troubleshooting your nodes.

Quick-links

• Node Machine installation runbooks:
  • IC-OS Installation Runbook (no-HSM)
  • IC-OS Installation Runbook (HSM, legacy onboarding)
• Troubleshooting and maintenance:
  • Node Provider Troubleshooting
  • Node Provider Maintenance
  • Node Provider Matrix channel
• Other resources:
  • Node Provider Onboarding
  • Node Provider Machine Hardware Guide
  • Node Provider Networking Guide
  • Node Provider Remuneration
  • Node Provider Self-declaration
  • Node Provider FAQ