What is the difference between a server and a node

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Quote from: Cookdata on July 25, 2022, 02:58:15 PM

To broadcast a transaction from a wallet to the bitcoin network, you can connect to a node, either privately or publicly, but I don't know why electrum and sparrow wallet used server in their network connections instead of nodes. I'm assuming server and bitcoin nodes are the same thing, but I'm not sure.

They are two different things, let me explain how each one works.

Bitcoin node is a program running o a server on the port 8332 and you can call that tool with RPC calls.

The server is the machine running Bitcoin Node, but since it's a server it could run other services in different ports like HTTP (80), SSH (22), NodeJS (3000), SMTP (25) and Bitcoin (8332).

When we talk about a bitcoin server, we are talking about a Server that is running Bitcoin Core (Node) and another programs Like SQL, Python or NodeJS... or others. So, when a user calls any action the flowchart looks something like this:

1.-User open the website or the app (Port 443)
2.-User request a withdraw (Site send the request to NodeJS for data verification on port 3000)
3.-NodeJS calls Bitcoin core with RPC on por (8332)
4.-Send the result data back to NodeJS and this print it in the Website.

If you where dealing direct with node, you only need to make the call and make the withdrawal without a third party interference.

nc50lc

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Quote from: ?? on ??

-snip-

I'm not sure you explain it poorly or confused between term "node" and "server" when the context is Bitcoin wallet. When people say "networking device", they usually refer to device such as router, switch or wifi receiver. Obviously you can't run Bitcoin full node on such device.

I also thought that he's talking about networking instead of Bitcoin and got suspicious on his activity after browsing through his post history.

After a few searches, I found out that his post is suspiciously similar to this answer from a Q&A website (prob. paraphrased).
from this page: state-true-or-false-nodes-and-servers-have-the-same-function

nc50lc

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Quote from: Cookdata on July 25, 2022, 02:58:15 PM

-snip- but I don't know why electrum and sparrow wallet used server in their network connections instead of nodes. I'm assuming server and bitcoin nodes are the same thing, but I'm not sure.

Both of those wallets can use the Electrum Server implementations like "ElectrumX" and "Electrs", etc. which requires a Bitcoin node.
So, you're quite right in your assumption that it's the same thing.

The difference is a 'Server' can "serve" the node's capability to its 'Clients' (like Electrum/Sparrow).

BlackHatCoiner

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A server acts as a head, based on the requests it receives from the clients. For example, bitcointalk.org (the server) acts accordingly to the users' (or clients') queries.

A node is just a computer that is part of a network which distributes information across communication channels. For example, my computer connecting to the Tor network, my computer running a Bitcoin client, my computer connecting to bitcointalk.org.

A node is broader than a server. All servers are considered nodes, but not all nodes are considered servers.

Charles-Tim

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Light clients or simplified payment verification (SPV) wallets just connect to central server, the central servers are setup by node runners too which your SPV wallet depend on to synchronized with the blockchain.

If you are using Electrum, you can connect to your own Electrum server which means you connect with your own node using Electrum wallet.

If you run your own server, you run your own node. If you run a central server like that of SPV wallets, that means your wallet depends fully on full node of a third party that is able to know your IP address and also connect addresses on your wallet together.

Quote

What is a server

A computer or computer program which manages access to a centralized resource or service in a network.

Because if this, it would be best to just use central server for SPV wallet and running owns node for full node runners.

jackg

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https://bit.ly/387FXHi lightning theory

It's similar terms for similar things coming from different places.

In network topology graph theory is often used to explain things and a lot of the time "nodes" are used like interchangeable or identical servers. In lots of places they're less specific than servers but are normally used for increasing bandwidth and information relay speeds and times.

Servers deliver information to a user's machine and can often take in information from a user's device too - like with cookies.

One of the main difference I'd suggest is that when sending information to nodes on a bitcoin network you don't need to worry as much about maintaining a "session" like you would sometimes if connecting to a server, you also might broadcast a transaction to multiple nodes (and that doesn't cause a problem on either end - which it may do with a server).

I'd say most architecture is morphing from using servers to nodes though so the two might become even more interchangeable (think downloading a game, you normally connect to multiple nodes at once to allow for faster download speeds).

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Quote from: DaveF on July 25, 2022, 03:10:43 PM

Although not a perfect explanation BUT

A node is what you are running on your desktop that you interact with at the desktop level.

What you are connecting to with electrum and sparrow are not the actual bitcoind software but another application that sits next to it so you can send / receive / see you balances.

I think that a correction is needed. While the example stands for Electrum, Sparrow is more versatile and it can connect to a Bitcoin node too.
(I've only done some tests with Sparrow more months ago, hence if I am wrong or I've misunderstood something please correct me).

Quote from: Cookdata on July 25, 2022, 02:58:15 PM

To broadcast a transaction from a wallet to the bitcoin network, you can connect to a node, either privately or publicly, but I don't know why electrum and sparrow wallet used server in their network connections instead of nodes. I'm assuming server and bitcoin nodes are the same thing, but I'm not sure.

A Bitcoin node can run as .. well, a bitcoin node, which can already be seen as a server since it's offering its service to other nodes.
SPV wallets like Electrum or Ledger live need servers that are not Bitcoin Nodes (there are servers built on top of bitcoin nodes) in order to operate.
I hope this helps.

DaveF

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Although not a perfect explanation BUT

A node is what you are running on your desktop that you interact with at the desktop level.

What you are connecting to with electrum and sparrow are not the actual bitcoind software but another application that sits next to it so you can send / receive / see you balances.

Think of it in the web world, you can create a document on your desktop and email it.
For the rest of the world to see it whenever you need a web server.

-Dave

Cookdata

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To broadcast a transaction from a wallet to the bitcoin network, you can connect to a node, either privately or publicly, but I don't know why electrum and sparrow wallet used server in their network connections instead of nodes. I'm assuming server and bitcoin nodes are the same thing, but I'm not sure.

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