3 types of ⚡ nodes
Having run lightning nodes since early 2019, it's been great to watch the network grow, stumble, flourish, struggle and evolve .. my personal view is that there are three broad types of nodes now, and if you want to run a lightning node then be very clear about which sort before you start:
PlebNodes: Sovereignty, privacy and p2p connectivity
Run for sovereign access and control with two types of channels:
1. 2-4 channels with other *known* node runners - people who have got their shit together and keep their node up and/or let you know when/why it will be down; other plebs you know/trust; and ..
2. 1-2 channels into very well connected nodes that give you - and your plebpeers - much broader connectivity to the rest of the network
RoutingNodes: Connectivity and economic return
Larger nodes (measured by channels and channel capacity), that tie up significant capital (such as nostr:nprofile1qyt8wumn8ghj7etyv4hzumn0wd68ytnvv9hxgtcpvemhxue69uhkv6tvw3jhytnwdaehgu3wwa5kuef0dec82c33denh2mtvw9kh2uek0p4hymtkwejk2drevvmhxamg895rgattxam8quf5v3j8gdmpxf48gantvvery7fsv9ehyum9xdc8v0mzwfhkzerrv9ehg0t5wf6k2qpqngumlqmus6xkrmvvee4yc7swh9h4uk7vpq4ddt7a2jtvkc22y0as8a7mmt - see below) and have a very broad reach across the network. They have resilient infrastructure, knowledgeable operations, are reliable, and economically keep their head above water at least at a nominal level
LightningServiceProviders: Enablement, connectivity and return
Like RoutingNodes, competently run and highly reliable with significant capital, and various service layers/offerings that enable applications and other services to utilise lightning reliably without having to deal with lots of the underlying technicalities. Like RoutingNodes, they need to make a return on capital and operational costs to remain viable.
They're all important, and they each have quite different objectives, costs, risks and competency requirements. If you're curious about lightning I'd strongly recommend having a go! You'll learn loads, and using Zeus on your phone, connected to your own lightning node, whilst you're out and about at home, or travelling across the world is amazing and empowering!