> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.towns.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Introduction

> The Towns Protocol is powered by a network of Stream Nodes that are registered on chain and run by Node Operators. This guide is intended as an introduction to getting started as an operator and running a node in the Towns network.

### Operating Towns Components

[Towns Stream Nodes](https://github.com/towns-protocol/towns/tree/main/core/node) are software components that are able to be run by anyone. Towns Protocol's incentive structure supports Towns Stream Node operators as a first-class actor in the network. Operators, once registered and approved by the DAO , can run a Stream Node on Towns Chain and participate in block validation as well as reward distribution.

Given the open-source nature of Towns, the Foundation also encourages developers who would like to run instances of Towns Chain on a network of their choice connected to self-hosted Towns Stream Nodes. Though these nodes would not technically be connected to the Towns protocol node network that is deployed on [Base Mainnet](https://basescan.org/), developers may find value in experimenting with different rollup implementation features.

### Operator Onboarding Lifecycle

Operator and node onboarding to the network follow a multi-stage lifecycle that is designed to ensure the operator is fully prepared and meets [requirements](/node-operator/tutorials/system-requirements-installation) to run a node in mainnet.

Each of the following steps are described in detail in subsequent sections.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Register operator in Testnet" />

  <Step title="DAO operator approval in Testnet" />

  <Step title="Register node in Testnet" />

  <Step title="Register operator in Mainnet" />

  <Step title="Achieve sufficient TOWNS token delegation" />

  <Step title="DAO operator approval in Mainnet" />

  <Step title="Register node in Mainnet" />

  <Step title="DAO operator activation in Mainnet" />

  <Step title="Participate in TOWNS rewards distribution epochs" />
</Steps>

#### Stream Node Configuration Modes

The below table outlines the current operator service level that is supported by the Towns Protocol. Supported configurations are outlined in subsequent sections.

| Configuration | Description                                                                                      | Node Registration | Stream Reads | Stream Writes | Support |
| ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------- | ------------ | ------------- | ------- |
| Full node     | Stream node running inside Towns node network                                                    | ✅                 | ✅            | ✅             | ✅       |
| Info mode     | Stream node running in info mode, unattached to the network, for debug purposes only.            | ❌                 | ❌            | ❌             | ✅       |
| Archival node | Stream node running outside Towns node network storing all stream events from Towns node network | ❌                 | Proxied      | Proxied       | ❌       |