Node sale (node licenses)

In a node sale, a project offers a limited number of licences, usually as NFTs, priced in tiers that rise as each tier sells out. Buyers can run a lightweight node on their own computer or delegate it to a hosting provider, and in exchange receive a share of the token emissions reserved for node operators, typically over several years. The nodes may verify transactions, check a layer 2's data, serve an AI or DePIN network, or simply prove they are online.

Node sales became popular in 2024 as an alternative to presales, letting projects raise large sums from the community while presenting buyers as infrastructure participants rather than investors. Some sales collected tens of millions of dollars within days.

The returns depend on the future token price and the emission schedule, so licences often lose value quickly after the token goes live. Many nodes do little real work, licences may be locked or non-transferable for months, and regulators may treat them as securities offerings.