Bootstrap Node
A well-known, stable node a new participant connects to first when joining a peer-to-peer network, used purely to discover other active peers rather than to handle transactions directly.
A bootstrap node is a well-known, reliably available node that a new participant's software connects to first when joining a peer-to-peer blockchain network, specifically to discover a working list of other currently active peers to connect with. Without some starting point, a brand-new node joining the network has no way to know which other nodes currently exist and are reachable.
Bootstrap nodes' addresses are typically hardcoded or distributed alongside a blockchain client's software, serving purely as an initial peer-discovery mechanism rather than as any kind of trusted source of blockchain data — once connected, a new node still independently verifies all blockchain data it receives from whatever peers it ends up connecting to, rather than trusting the bootstrap node's own data directly. This distinguishes a bootstrap node's limited, functional role from anything resembling a centralized authority over the network's actual operation.
Examples
- A new node joining a blockchain network connects to a hardcoded bootstrap node first, purely to discover a working list of other active peers to connect with.
- A bootstrap node's role is limited to peer discovery — a new node still independently verifies all blockchain data on its own, rather than trusting the bootstrap node's data directly.