What are the costs?
Running a Rocket Pool node requires initial capital, but also some upfront, & ongoing expenses.
Hardware
Most Recommended
Home Staking
Staking from home is the gold standard; you are contributing the most to the security, resiliency, & decentralisation of Ethereum.
Simple
A dedicated computer, & uncapped stable internet access is required to stake from home.
Do it yourself
If you are comfortable with Linux then you can build or buy a pre-made computer, & setup the node yourself. It is super easy, & our community have supported hundreds of new node operators.
Decentralised
Home staking contributes the most to the decentralisation of the Ethereum network.
Cloud Option
Cloud Staking
If it's not possible for you to stake from home, then using a cloud provider is an option.
If you don't have a reliable uncapped Internet plan, or you just don't want to deal with building, & maintaining your own physical computer, you may want to look at running a virtual node..
Simple
Don't want to mess around with hardware? Let a hosting provider handle all the physical hardware for you!
Virtual Private Server (VPS)
These are virtual servers that you rent from hosting providers, such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Netcup, Contabo, or other companies. Essentially, these companies will happily create, & run a server for you, for a monthly fee.