Nodes provide the connection between you and the Hive blockchain. There are a handful of nodes and they can be chosen or switched. How this is done depends on the front end you're using, like PeakD or Ecency.

There are two types of nodes on Hive: “witness nodes” and “API nodes”. Witness nodes create and sign blocks, that is, they essentially build the blockchain. API nodes are for apps and front ends to interact with the blockchain. That is, they allow apps to gather info, like posts, and present it to you and I.

At times, the Hive blockchain can seem “broken” and things don't load. Often during these times, a red alert is shown (depending on the front end). This can occur when a node is having issues, but a user can usually fix this by changing to a new node.

Sometimes Hive users may find things not working and may need to change nodes. Changing nodes is simple using the PeakD front end. Login at PeakD.com and select your profile (tap your avatar), then “PeakD Settings”. Then look for “Select default API node” and nodes can be seen or selected there. Normally, “Switch Automatically (Default)” is likely the best option. Be sure to choose “Save Settings” at the bottom of the page. See the image below for an example:

The node can also be manually switched. For instance, using the URL below will force a change to the api.hive.blog node:

https://peakd.com/?node=api.hive.blog

The API node name at the end of the URL above can be changed with any other nodes from the list below. For instance, “https://peakd.com/?node=api.hive.blog” could be changed to “https://peakd.com/?node=api.deathwing.me”.

• api.hive.blog
• api.deathwing.me
• hive-api.arcange.eu
• hived.emre.sh
• api.openhive.network
• rpc.ausbit.dev
• anyx.io
• techcoderx.com
• api.hive.blue
• c0ff33a API Node
• api.pharesim.me
• hived.privex.io
• hive.roelandp.nl

Witness vs. API nodes: https://peakd.com/@arcange/re-1679341172158