# Get Started

When you need blockchain data or want to send transactions, you’ll need access to a blockchain node. At that point, you can either use an [external node service](/giwa-chain/en/tools/node-providers.md) or operate a GIWA node yourself.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Running a blockchain node consumes significant time and resources. If only using RPC meets your needs, there’s no need to run your own node.

Need RPC for testing? Try the free endpoint provided by GIWA.

* Testnet (Sepolia): <https://sepolia-rpc.giwa.io>

Free endpoints are rate-limited. For production apps, we recommend using an [external node service](/giwa-chain/en/tools/node-providers.md).
{% endhint %}

## Prerequisites

### Hardware

| Resource | Minimum       | Recommended |
| -------- | ------------- | ----------- |
| CPU      | 4 cores       | 8+ cores    |
| RAM      | 8 GB          | 16+ GB      |
| Disk     | 500 GB (NVMe) | 1+ TB       |

### Layer 1 (Ethereum) RPC

Since GIWA is an Ethereum Layer 2 blockchain, a GIWA node requires an L1 (Ethereum) RPC to function properly. For the Ethereum node, you can either use an external node service or operate one yourself.

## Run a Node

Clone the GitHub repository [giwa-io/node](https://github.com/giwa-io/node) and follow the README guide.

After the node starts, catching up to the latest GIWA chain tip is called syncing. Syncing can take a long time. You can check the node's sync status with the command below.

```bash
curl http://localhost:8545 \
  -X POST \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_syncing","params":[],"id":0}'
```

## Troubleshooting

Having issues running node?

* <i class="fa-envelope">:envelope:</i>: <contact@giwa.io>
* <i class="fa-github">:github:</i>: You may find similar issues at <https://github.com/giwa-io/node/issues>. If you encounter a new bug, feel free to open an issue.


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