VPS for Crypto Nodes in 2026: Which Nodes Actually Fit

Short answer: in 2026 a VPS comfortably runs a pruned Bitcoin node, a pruned Litecoin node and a Lightning node, and the largest VPS plans can just hold a pruned Monero node. Full Bitcoin and full Monero nodes need several hundred GB of disk, an Ethereum full node needs around 2 TB of NVMe and 16–32 GB of RAM, and a Solana validator needs hundreds of GB of RAM, so those belong on dedicated servers.

All numbers below are approximate as of late 2026. Every blockchain grows continuously, so check the current size before ordering and plan for headroom of at least 20–30% on disk.

Crypto node requirements at a glance (2026)

Bitcoin: pruned fits a small VPS, full needs big storage

A pruned Bitcoin Core node validates every block from genesis exactly like a full node, then deletes old block files and keeps only the UTXO set (chainstate, roughly 10–12 GB) and recent blocks. It can verify your own transactions, broadcast them and back a Lightning node. It cannot serve old blocks to peers, and tools that need full history, such as Electrum servers (electrs, Fulcrum) or block explorers, require an unpruned node.

The initial sync is CPU and disk heavy. A larger `dbcache` speeds it up considerably; lower it again after sync on small plans. More context on what a Bitcoin node exposes is in what BTC reveals on a VPS.

# ~/.bitcoin/bitcoin.conf (pruned node)
prune=10000        # keep about 10 GB of recent blocks (minimum is 550)
dbcache=1000       # MB; raise during initial sync if RAM allows, lower afterward
maxconnections=40
listen=1
server=1           # needed if Lightning or wallets use RPC

Monero: pruned on the largest VPS plan only

Monero pruning keeps about one eighth of the prunable data, which brings the node down to roughly 80–100 GB in late 2026 compared with roughly 250 GB or more for a full node. That is a very tight fit for a 100 GB disk once the OS and logs are counted, so check the current pruned size before ordering and monitor free space. A pruned node still validates everything and serves wallets normally.

Running your own node instead of a public one is the main privacy win for Monero users. See Monero remote node vs your own node for what remote nodes learn and how to expose a restricted RPC port safely.

Litecoin and Lightning nodes on a VPS

Litecoin Core is a Bitcoin Core fork with the same `prune` option, so a pruned Litecoin node fits on a small VPS just like Bitcoin. A full Litecoin chain is well over 100 GB and keeps growing.

Lightning implementations need a Bitcoin backend. LND and Core Lightning both work with a pruned bitcoind on the same server, which keeps a full Lightning setup inside 40–60 GB of disk. A Lightning node is a hot wallet: keep static channel backups off the server, harden SSH, and do not expose RPC or gRPC ports to the internet.

Ethereum and Solana: dedicated servers for crypto nodes

• ▹Ethereum full node: you run an execution client and a consensus client together. Expect around 2 TB of NVMe today with 4 TB recommended for growth, 16–32 GB of RAM, and fast random I/O. Archive nodes need far more.
• ▹Solana validator: current published guidance calls for hundreds of GB of RAM, multiple high-endurance NVMe drives and very high bandwidth. Check the latest Anza/Agave requirements, which change often.
• ▹Neither fits any typical VPS plan. Shared virtual disks also tend to struggle with the sustained random I/O these clients need.
• ▹Dedicated servers for crypto nodes are the right tool here, but check disk layout, not just CPU and RAM, before ordering.

Which NoctisNode plan fits which node

NoctisNode VPS plans are KVM with NVMe, unmetered 1 Gbps and a dedicated IPv4, billed per 28-day cycle and payable in XMR, BTC, LTC, ETH and stablecoins. The biggest VPS is Nocturne with 100 GB NVMe and 8 GB RAM, so Ethereum full nodes and Solana validators are out of scope. Dedicated servers (R1 Ryzen 9 7950X 64 GB, R2 Pro EPYC 9354 128 GB, R3 Max EPYC 9654 256 GB) are currently sold out. Full plan details are on the VPS page and in our crypto VPS overview.

Checklist before you order a VPS node

1. 01.Look up the current chain size for the exact mode you want (pruned, full, with or without indexes) and add 20–30% headroom.
2. 02.Decide whether you need full history: Electrum servers, explorers and some indexers need an unpruned node.
3. 03.Size RAM for the initial sync, not just steady state; you can lower caches afterward.
4. 04.Plan which ports to expose: P2P is usually fine to open, RPC should stay on localhost, behind a restricted mode, or behind Tor.
5. 05.Set up disk-usage alerts so a growing chain does not fill the disk and corrupt the database.
6. 06.Keep wallet seeds and Lightning channel backups off the server.

FAQ