Node Machines

Node machines are high-end bare-metal server machines according to the ICP hardware specification. These node machines run the guestOS, which includes the replica and API boundary software, along with other necessary components to participate in the Internet Computer blockchain. Node machines are independently owned and controlled by node providers, distributed across data centers around the globe, and add capacity to the Internet Computer blockchain. Replica node machines are organized into subnets that host canister smart contracts, while API boundary node machines act as the edge of the Internet Computer, routing requests to the appropriate replica node machines.