What are the differences or similarities betweent the chainlink oracle and node and node operator?
Is oracle equal to node that runs on chainlink network?
1 Answer
Chainlink Node
Chainlink client software running on a computer to handle requests for external resources from on-chain. Code for this software is open-sourced on GitHub.
Chainlink Node Operator
An entity that runs the Chainlink node. Could be an individual or a company. You can find Chainlink node operators on a listing service like market.link.
Chainlink Oracle
An oracle refers to any entity or service that connects a blockchain to outside data and services such as price data, weather data, or randomness that wouldn't be available on the blockchain. This could be Chainlink or any other service.
A "Chainlink oracle" is a term that is essentially interchangeable with a Chainlink node operator. When many node operators connect their nodes to deliver their data to the blockchain, where it is then aggregated, it is referred to as a "Decentralized Oracle Network" or "DON".
