Nodes: How the Network Governs Itself

We understand who checks that the rules are valid across the Bitcoin network.

A node is a computer running the Bitcoin software and holding a full copy of the transaction record. Thousands of them are spread across the world.

Every node verifies each transaction and rule for itself. It doesn't trust — it verifies. If someone tries to cheat, the nodes simply reject it.

That's why no single party can change Bitcoin on its own: change requires the whole network to agree — deliberately rare and difficult.

Bitcoin's strength isn't in one place you can shut down, but spread across a network with no center. That's what makes it resilient.

In the next station, we'll see how this network is secured through mining.