EVM vs. EmpoorioChain: Client Differences

Types of node clients

Since transitioning to PoS, Ethereum splits validator node software into two cooperating client types. Execution Layer (EL) clients receive transactions, execute them on the EVM, and maintain state. Consensus Layer (CL) clients run the PoS consensus protocol and reach agreement based on data from the execution client. A validator node runs one of each, paired over a local API.

Ethereum execution clients include:

Why EmpoorioChain uses a single client

Substrate's architecture bundles networking (libp2p), block execution, and the consensus engines (Aura + GRANDPA) into one binary built from the same runtime that also defines the chain's pallets. There is currently one production client implementation; a diverse multi-client ecosystem like Ethereum's is a longer-term ecosystem goal rather than something already in place.

Types of node

Ethereum classifies nodes into three types based on the scope of data storage and participation in consensus:

• Full Node: Validates the chain block by block; typically keeps a rolling window of recent state and can regenerate older data on demand.
• Archive Node: Verifies and retains every block and every historical state from genesis onward; used by explorers and analytics tools.
• Light Node: Downloads only block headers and verifies data against them; low resource requirements, does not participate in consensus.

EmpoorioChain, as a Substrate chain, divides nodes primarily by role rather than by storage depth:

• Validator nodes: Author blocks (Aura) and vote on finality (GRANDPA); require a bonded stake and session keys.
• RPC / full nodes: Sync and verify the full chain state and serve JSON-RPC to applications, without validating.
• Archive nodes: Full nodes run with `--pruning archive`, retaining all historical state — the Substrate equivalent of Ethereum's Archive Node.
• Light clients: Verify block headers and GRANDPA/BEEFY finality proofs without downloading full state, comparable in spirit to Ethereum's Light Node.

In short:

RPC access

EmpoorioChain exposes standard Substrate JSON-RPC and WebSocket endpoints, compatible with polkadot.js/@polkadot/api tooling, plus an Ethereum-JSON-RPC-compatible endpoint through its EVM pallet for Solidity tooling (Hardhat, Foundry, ethers.js). See the RPC page for current testnet endpoints.