# Run Espresso Infrastructure

There are three operator roles you can run against the Espresso Network. Each one serves a different purpose, has different hardware needs, and is run by a different kind of team.

## Pick your role

| Role               | Who runs it                                                         | What it does                                                                                                                                                          | Hardware                                                                                     |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Validator node** | Stake operators (institutional and independent) earning ESP rewards | Participates in [HotShot consensus](/network/developer/the-espresso-network/properties-of-hotshot.md), finalizing blocks across the Espresso Network                  | 1 CPU core, 8 GB RAM (non-DA); 4+4 CPU, 8+4 GB RAM, 1.2 TB SSD (DA)                          |
| **Builder**        | Block proposers serving an Espresso chain's slot                    | Pulls transactions from the public mempool, assembles blocks, and submits them to Espresso for finalization                                                           | 2-4 CPU cores, 4-8 GB RAM                                                                    |
| **Caff Node**      | Chains and applications integrated with Espresso                    | Reads finalized blocks directly from Espresso and serves standard EVM JSON-RPC, so users see confirmed state within seconds without waiting for downstream settlement | Varies; see the [Caff Node Run](https://github.com/EspressoSystems/caff-node-run) repository |

## When to run which

* **You hold ESP and want to participate in consensus / earn rewards.** [Run a Validator Node](/network/developer/operators/run-a-node.md). You'll register in the stake table, attract delegations, and run the node software on the network of your choice.
* **You operate an Espresso-integrated chain and need to propose blocks.** [Run a Builder](/network/developer/operators/running-a-builder.md). The builder is the component that bundles transactions for your chain's namespace.
* **You operate a chain or application and need fast, low-latency reads of finalized state.** [Run a Caff Node](/network/developer/operators/running-caff-node.md). This is the read-side counterpart to the builder, exposing standard JSON-RPC.

## Related references

* [Networks](/network/network/networks.md): public endpoints and contract addresses for Mainnet 1 and Decaf Testnet.
* [Stake Table Contract](/network/developer/the-espresso-network/stake-table.md): how validator registration, delegation, and rewards work onchain.
* [Reading from Espresso](/network/developer/dapp/read-from-network.md): the conceptual basis for what a Caff Node provides.


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