How to Run a FluxNode in 2026

Fluxers! Every application on Flux — 1,913 of them at the last census — runs on machines owned and operated by people like you. There are 7,098 FluxNodes today — the network passed 7,000 this month — and every one of them was added by someone who decided to contribute hardware to a decentralized cloud and be rewarded for it.

This is a practical guide to joining them in 2026: what it takes, which route suits you, and what you get back.

What a FluxNode is

A FluxNode is a machine — physical or virtual — running FluxOS, contributing its CPU, memory, storage and bandwidth to the network. The network places other people’s applications on it, and pays its operator for keeping it online and performing.

It is permissionless. There is no application form and no contract. To join, you lock FLUX as collateral and run a machine that meets your tier’s requirements. The collateral stays in your own wallet, and you can unlock it whenever you decide to stop.

Choose your tier

Three tiers, each with its own collateral and hardware floor:

Cumulus — 1,000 FLUX. 2 cores / 4 threads, 8 GB RAM, 220 GB SSD or NVMe, at least 25 Mbit/s.
Nimbus — 12,500 FLUX. 4 cores / 8 threads, 32 GB RAM, 440 GB SSD or NVMe, at least 50 Mbit/s.
Stratus — 40,000 FLUX. 8 cores / 16 threads, 64 GB RAM, 880 GB SSD or NVMe, at least 100 Mbit/s.

Every tier needs a public IP address and roughly 97% uptime, and every node must pass a benchmark before it joins — so the network knows the machine really delivers what its tier promises.

Today the fleet is 3,594 Cumulus, 1,678 Nimbus and 1,826 Stratus nodes, and all three tiers are growing — the network added nearly 300 nodes in the first ten days of October alone. Cumulus is the friendly way in; Stratus carries the most weight.

Four ways to take part

1. Run an ArcaneOS node — recommended. ArcaneOS is Flux’s hardened node operating system. It installs as a complete image, updates itself, and looks after its own maintenance, so there is far less for you to do. It is also what makes your node eligible for the network’s private enterprise workloads — nearly half of all applications on Flux — because ArcaneOS nodes can prove what they are running. If you are starting fresh, start here.

2. Run a legacy node. The original route: FluxOS installed on a standard Linux distribution and maintained by you. It still works, but ArcaneOS is where the network is heading, and upgrading is the way to get the most from your node.

3. Stake into a Titan node. No hardware at all. Stake from as little as 50 FLUX into Titan nodes, which run on enterprise-grade hardware from partners such as Lumen Technologies and OVH Cloud. Your funds stay non-custodial in Zelcore or SSP Wallet, every transaction is signed from a multi-signature address, and rewards in native FLUX are paid twice a week. It is the simplest possible way to support the network.

4. Use a managed node service. A third-party provider sets up, hosts and maintains your node, while you keep full custody of your collateral and receive earnings directly to your own wallet. If you choose this route, research providers carefully and pick one with transparent pricing and a strong reputation.

Setting up an ArcaneOS node

The outline of an ArcaneOS install:

Prepare your collateral in Zelcore or SSP Wallet — the exact amount for your tier, in a single transaction.
Prepare the machine — bare metal or a VPS that meets the tier requirements, with a public IP.
Install ArcaneOS from the official image. It sets up Secure Boot, the encrypted disk and FluxOS for you.
Link your collateral to the node and start it.
Pass the benchmark, and your node joins the network.

The full step-by-step guide, including VPS specifics, is in the Flux documentation.

What you earn

Today, operators earn block rewards in native FLUX: each block pays a node in every tier, so every eligible node is paid in its turn. Live earnings by tier are on the FluxCloud rewards dashboard.

From July 2027, Progressive Node Rewards begins paying operators from the network’s own usage: a share of every application payment flows into a pool that pays eligible nodes over a rolling thirty-day window. As the network grows, so does that pool. We explained exactly how it works in Progressive Node Rewards: When Usage Starts Paying the Machines.

Your node in the new FluxCloud

The new FluxCloud interface is served by every FluxNode — and when you open it from your own node and sign in as its administrator, it becomes your operator console: FluxOS status and maintenance, running applications, benchmarks and peers, daemon control, node settings and log tails, all in one place.

Stepping back

Because your collateral never leaves your wallet, leaving is simple: unlock it and it is yours to move again. The documentation walks through it.

Join the network

Start at runonflux.com/fluxnodes, pick your tier and your route, and add your machine to the 7,098 already running the decentralized cloud. Every new node is more capacity, more locations and more resilience for every application on Flux.