Light Node

A light node, also known as a Lightweight Client or Simplified Payment Verification (SPV) client, is a type of blockchain node that downloads and stores only a small portion of the blockchain's data, typically just the block headers. Unlike full nodes, light nodes do not store the entire transaction history. Instead, they rely on full nodes to provide and confirm the necessary data for transaction verification, leveraging the cryptographic proofs within block headers (like Merkle roots) to confirm that transactions exist within a block without needing to download its full content.