Buterin says it’s time to revisit the idea of simplifying Ethereum’s blockchain.
On Saturday, Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin posted a post on node processing that allows backends used by nodes to interact with the Ethereum Beacon Chain and integrate consensus and overlap and the protocol's execution layer into a unified code structure.
Ethereum's node runners, also known as validators, currently have to run two separate programs, each of which needs configuration and synchronization to coordinate and transmit data generated by Ethereum's consensus and execution layers.
This increases the technical complexity of running a node or providing authentication services to the Ethereum network, forcing ordinary users to not build their own infrastructure and rely on third-party service providers.
“I feel like at every level, we've implicitly decided that running Node is a terrible DevOps task,” Buterin wrote in a post on X.
“No. We need to reverse this. Running your own Ethereum infrastructure should be the basic right of every individual and family. “Hardware requirements are high, so it doesn't matter if DevOps skills and time requirements are high, ‘it's not an excuse. “
Even people who can afford high-end computer hardware and have the technical know-how to set up an Ethereum node lack the time to set them up, Buterin said. “Nodes should be simple.”
The Ethereum network and other smart contract blockchains have faced criticism for the technical complexity and hardware requirements to run a node, which has raised concerns about centralization on those networks.
Related: Ethereum Foundation Publishes Mandatory Role and Goals
Buterin offers semi-stateless nodes to make the network more decentralized
In May 2025, Buterin introduced semi-stateless nodes, which do not maintain the entire block history and only contain the information the node runner needs.
This reduces hardware costs and data storage requirements for users running nodes for private purposes, such as sending transactions and verifying the blockchain.
According to Go-Ethereum (GETH), disk space is usually the primary bottleneck for node operators. Smart contract blockchain networks, such as Ethereum, generate large amounts of data that require ever-increasing storage space, making specialized node hardware necessary.
“A market structure dominated by a small number of Remote Process Call (RPC) providers faces significant pressure to exclude or censor users. Many RPC providers already exclude all countries,” Buterin wrote.
In late January, Buterin said it had allocated 16,384 Ether, about $45 million, from its private holdings to support privacy-preserving technologies, open hardware and secure, verifiable software. He added that the Ethereum Foundation will continue to follow its technical roadmap while entering a period of what he described as “mild austerity” and that the currency will deploy gradually over the coming years.
Magazine: Ethereum Fusaka Fork Explained For Dummies: What the Hell is PeerDAS?
