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Ethereum consists of thousands of nodes worldwide. Full nodes download and verify all blocks and transactions; light nodes sync headers and rely on others for data.

After the Merge, validators secure consensus. They stake 32 ETH (or use pooling), propose blocks, and attest. Malicious or offline behavior is penalized.

The network splits into an execution layer (transactions and contracts) and a consensus layer (beacon chain coordinating validators). Clients like Geth/Nethermind and Prysm/Lighthouse run in pairs.

A transaction's journey: user signs → broadcast to mempool → validator includes in block → network validates → state updates. Gas tips go to validators; base fee is burned.

Network health depends on client diversity: if one client dominates, a single bug could halt or fork the chain. The community actively encourages minority clients.