---
id: hardware
title: Hardware Requirements for Validator Node
sidebar_label: Hardware Requirements
sidebar_position: 1
description: NEAR Validator Node Hardware Requirements
---

This page covers the minimum and recommended hardware requirements for engaging with the NEAR platform as a validator node.


## Recommended Hardware Specifications {#recommended-hardware-specifications}

| Hardware       |  Recommended Specifications                                                  |
| -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------              |
| CPU            | x86_64 (Intel, AMD) processor with at least 8 physical cores                 |
| CPU Features   | CMPXCHG16B, POPCNT, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX                                      |
| RAM            | 24GB DDR4                                                                    |
| Storage        | 2TB SSD (NVMe SSD is recommended. HDD will be enough for localnet only)      |

Verify CPU feature support by running the following command on Linux:

```
lscpu | grep -P '(?=.*avx )(?=.*sse4.2 )(?=.*cx16 )(?=.*popcnt )' > /dev/null \
  && echo "Supported" \
  || echo "Not supported"
```

## Minimal Hardware Specifications {#minimal-hardware-specifications}

| Hardware       |  Minimal Specifications                                                     |
| -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------             |
| CPU            | x86_64 (Intel, AMD) processor with at least 8 physical cores                |
| CPU Features   | CMPXCHG16B, POPCNT, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX                                     |
| RAM            | 16GB DDR4                                                                    |
| Storage        | 1TB SSD (NVMe SSD is recommended. HDD will be enough for localnet only)   |

Verify CPU feature support by running the following command on Linux:

```
lscpu | grep -P '(?=.*avx )(?=.*sse4.2 )(?=.*cx16 )(?=.*popcnt )' > /dev/null \
  && echo "Supported" \
  || echo "Not supported"
```

## Cost Estimation {#cost-estimation}

Estimated monthly costs depending on operating system:

| Cloud Provider | Machine Size    | Linux                  |
| -------------- | --------------- | ---------------------- |
| AWS            | m5.2xlarge      | $330 CPU + $80 storage |
| GCP            | n2-standard-8   | $280 CPU + $80 storage |
| Azure          | Standard_F8s_v2 | $180 CPU + $40 storage |

<blockquote class="info">
<strong>Resources for Cost Estimation</strong><br /><br />

All prices reflect *reserved instances* which offer deep discounts on all platforms with a 1 year commitment

- AWS
  - cpu: https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/pricing/reserved-instances/pricing
  - storage: https://aws.amazon.com/ebs/pricing
- GCP
  - cpu: https://cloud.google.com/compute/vm-instance-pricing
  - storage: https://cloud.google.com/compute/disks-image-pricing
- Azure — https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/calculator

</blockquote>

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