Introduction
Brief overview on Monad
Monad is a high-performance layer-1 blockchain with full EVM bytecode compatibility. It keeps the Ethereum execution semantics developers already know, but reworks the parts underneath — optimistic parallel execution, a custom state database (TrieDB), and the pipelined MonadBFT consensus — to reach far higher throughput and sub-second finality on commodity hardware.
For node operators the practical consequence is that Monad is a two-process node: a
consensus client (monad-bft) and an execution client (monad-execution), usually alongside
an RPC server (monad-rpc). It also has unusually specific hardware demands for an EVM chain —
see below.
Networks
| Mainnet | Testnet | |
|---|---|---|
| Chain ID | 143 | 10143 |
| Currency | MON | MON |
| Public RPC | https://rpc.monad.xyz | https://testnet-rpc.monad.xyz |
| Explorer | MonadVision · Monadscan | MonadVision · Monadscan |
| Faucet | — | faucet.monad.xyz |
Additional public RPC providers and their rate limits are listed in the Monad network information docs.
Hardware
Monad is stricter than most EVM chains here, and it is worth reading before you buy anything:
- CPU — 16 cores at 4.5 GHz+ base clock (e.g. Ryzen 9950X / 7950X, EPYC 4584PX)
- RAM — 32 GB or more
- Disk — two PCIe Gen4x4 NVMe SSDs: a dedicated 2 TB for TrieDB (execution state) and 500 GB for MonadBFT and the OS
- Bandwidth — 300 Mbit/s for validators, 100 Mbit/s for full nodes
Note that cloud instances are not officially supported. MonadBFT operates on sub-second timing intervals, so bare metal is the expectation rather than a preference. The TrieDB disk is also used as a raw block device with no filesystem on it, which is worth knowing before you plan backups or partitioning.
Always check the official hardware requirements for the current numbers.
Useful Links
- Monad - The Monad website
- Monad Docs - The Monad official Docs
- Node Operations - Official full node and validator install guides
- Validator Delegation Program - How the foundation delegation program works
- Solonet - Run a complete Monad network locally in Docker, useful for testing
- monprobe - Our Telegram monitoring bot for Monad validators, created and supported by EmberStake team