Four nodes asked the same question
What block is Ethereum on right now? At 10:11 UTC on November 10, 2026 that question went to four public Ethereum endpoints, one after another, over about two seconds. Each was also asked which software it ran.
| Endpoint | Software it reported | Latest block |
|---|---|---|
| ethereum-rpc.publicnode.com | Reth v2.10.0 | 26,383,827 |
| 1rpc.io/eth | Geth v1.16.7 | 26,383,827 |
| rpc.flashbots.net | Reth v2.10.0 | 26,383,828 |
| rpc.mevblocker.io | MEVblocker (no client named) | 26,383,828 |
Two answers trailed the other two by a block, and on Ethereum a new block slot opens every 12 seconds, so both answers were right for the moment each was given. The software differed too. Reth and Geth are two of the execution clients listed in the ethereum.org nodes page, which says several independent implementations make the network less dependent on any single codebase.
What a node does all day
Ethereum.org defines a node as “any instance of Ethereum client software that is connected to other computers also running Ethereum software.” Each one runs two programs side by side, an execution client and a consensus client. A Bitcoin full node is a single program, and the bitcoin.org full node guide says it “fully validates transactions and blocks.” Almost all full nodes also relay what they receive.
Not every node keeps everything. Ethereum full nodes keep only recent state, typically the last 128 blocks, archive nodes keep every historical state and run to terabytes, and light nodes download block headers alone. A Bitcoin Core node can run pruned, which bitcoin.org says cuts disk use from over 750GB to around 7GB. The smallest pruning setting is 550 MiB, and by default the software allows up to 125 peer connections, 10 of them outbound.
Each node also keeps its own mempool of transactions waiting for a block, which is why two nodes can disagree about what is pending.
Where you see it
In MetaMask, the node behind each network is its RPC URL. The wallet’s help center shows how to add several RPC URLs for one network and switch between them, and warns that a custom one on Ethereum, Base, Arbitrum, Linea or BNB Smart Chain switches off Smart Transaction features such as MEV protection. MetaMask’s privacy notice says that under default settings, Infura is the RPC provider.
Two mistakes
The first is thinking the wallet talks to “the blockchain.” It talks to one node, and that operator sees which addresses you ask about. Ethereum.org says a node of your own lets you use apps without leaking “your addresses and balances to intermediaries.”
The second is assuming a node earns rewards. Voting on blocks is a separate job done by a validator, an extra program with ether at stake, and ethereum.org says a full node still helps the network “even if you don’t run a validator.”