Ethereum's Vitalik Buterin Proposes 36-Day Data Storage Model for Nodes

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has proposed a new approach to make running an Ethereum node more accessible and cost-effective for average users. The proposal aims to eliminate the need for users to store a full copy of the Ethereum blockchain, which currently requires over 1.3 terabytes of data. This high storage requirement has made it impractical for most users to run a full node without significant hardware or cloud resources.

Buterin's proposal introduces a local-first model, where nodes would only keep the portions of the blockchain data they need, while historical data older than 36 days would be distributed across multiple nodes for shared storage. This approach is likened to a library system, where users can request specific books from other libraries when needed, rather than storing every book in their local branch.

The new proposal aligns with Ethereum's latest Pectra upgrade, which aims to make nodes lightweight enough to run on consumer devices. Buterin has long advocated for a goal of making fully verified Ethereum nodes operable on regular consumer hardware, such as mobile phones, though he admits it could take a decade or more to achieve.

Buterin's proposal also addresses the risk of censorship that comes with relying on a few dominant providers. He argues that if Ethereum's market is structured this way, it will face strong pressure to deplatform or censor users. Therefore, there is value in continuing to ensure greater ease of running a personal node.

Michael Cameron, co-founder of Vanilla Finance decentralized trading platform, welcomed the proposal, stating that it feels like a breath of fresh air. He noted that while the latest technologies on Ethereum offer trustlessness and privacy, their computational overhead and metadata vulnerabilities expose the dangers of relying on just a few big players.

However, challenges remain in fully realizing this concept. It would require strong mechanisms for state subset selection and fallback options, which could add complexity. Distributing storage would only succeed if enough nodes participate to ensure data availability. Tiger Research's senior analyst Ryan Yoon echoed this sentiment, stating that boosting the number of nodes and distributing them geographically would help the network escape centralization risks, but studying how to apply it would need thorough evaluation.

Despite the challenges, Cameron believes that the proposal is a hill worth fighting for. The new approach would allow nodes to track only data relevant to the user while verifying other information on demand, making node operation more accessible to average users. This aligns with Ethereum's broader roadmap, which is now being laid down with the first phase of the Pectra upgrade, dubbed the most ambitious update to its system yet.