Running a node

Running a node is not necessary to use the protocol. Both the web extension and pcli are designed to operate with any RPC endpoint. However, we’ve tried to make it as easy as possible to run nodes so that users can host their own RPC.

There are two kinds of Penumbra nodes:

• Penumbra fullnodes run pd and cometbft to synchronize and verify the entire chain state, as described in Running a node: pd.
• Penumbra ultralight nodes run pclientd to scan, decrypt, and synchronize a specific wallet’s data, as well as build and sign transactions, as described in Running a node: pclientd.

The web extension and pcli embed the view and custody functionality provided by pclientd, so it is not necessary to run pclientd to use them. Instead, pclientd is intended to act as a local RPC for programmatic tooling (e.g., trading bots) not written in Rust that cannot easily embed the code for working with Penumbra’s shielded cryptography.