> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.witnesschain.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.witnesschain.com/archive/for-the-node-operators/node-requirements.md).

# Node requirements

### Who are the watchtower nodes?

WitnessChain watchtowers are nodes running watchtower client software that are watching for discrepancies between state output roots asserted on L1 Chain  (by the L2 Proposers) and the State output Root obtained on a L2 Archive Node (usually running on the same machine as the watchtower client)

{% hint style="info" %}
More configurable security trust levels will be available in the future versions depending on the requirements of the applications. Examples are watching for correctness of the batches submitted on the Inbox contract by the Sequencer.
{% endhint %}

### Pre-requisites

* Nodes seeking membership into the watchtower network need to restake through EigenLayer. The Node operator should already be a registered and delegated operator with EigenLayer

{% hint style="info" %}
Currently, we don't necessitate any minimum thresholds on the stakes delegated to the operator. This can change in the future
{% endhint %}

* Nodes should install an Archive node of the L2 Chain that the watchtower currently supports. There are different types of confirgurations possible. They are discussed in the [Setup for node operators](/archive/for-the-node-operators/watchtower-setup.md) section. List of L2 chains supported are available [here](/archive/watchtower-protocol-architecture-v1/chains-supported.md)

{% hint style="info" %}
Currently, the clients don't have the option to choose the L2 chains that they would like to watch.
{% endhint %}

### Supported OS architecture

We officially support the following architectures

* `linux/arm64`
* `linux/x86_64`

Other architectures might work, but they are not fully tested

### Node Hardware requirements

To prepare for the upcoming Testnet, the Watchtower nodes are advised to be prepared with the following minimum recommended hardware requirements: 

* `4+ cores CPU`
* `16GB+ RAM`
* `SSD - 1TB+ of free space`
* `200+ Mbps Network Bandwidth Performance`

{% hint style="info" %}
The node operator is required to run an Archive Node for the L2 Chain they are monitoring, which increases the hardware demands on the node.

The watchtower docker container that monitors itself is very light. It needs less than 100MB. 
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="warning" %}
These requirements will continually be tested, benchmarked and revised by the engineering team and community.
{% endhint %}