A daemon reached over a network instead of running alongside the wallet. It supplies blockchain data and accepts transactions for relay.
Chain requests and transaction submissions
A normal wallet connects to a remote daemon to obtain chain data and submit transactions for relay. It scans the data with wallet keys on the client side. The connection does not normally send the wallet file or private keys to the daemon.
The node is still the wallet's source of chain information. A responding server can be behind, withhold data or report misleading information. Reaching a server successfully is not the same as independently validating the chain.
References: Remote node documentation · Monero source: wallet/wallet2.cpp
A phone wallet using a server
A phone can scan incoming payments without storing a full node database. Its remote node supplies blocks and other requested information while the wallet recognizes outputs locally.
The operator can observe connections and transaction submissions. Additional requests, including some permitted for trusted nodes, can reveal more. Enable a wallet's trusted-node option only for a node you trust with the requests that setting permits.
References: Remote node documentation · Monero source: wallet/wallet2.cpp
TLS and anonymity networks
TLS protects the transport from eavesdropping and tampering on the network path when the client authenticates the server correctly. The server itself still handles the requests and sees the connection from the client.
An onion or I2P connection changes the network path and can hide the client's ordinary IP address from the destination. It does not make a dishonest destination truthful. Plain HTTP over a Tor exit also leaves the exit-to-server portion exposed.
References: Remote node documentation
Limits of node trust
A node cannot authorize a payment simply because the wallet connects to it. Spending authority remains with the wallet, but misleading fee information, withheld blocks or hostile data responses can still harm availability or privacy.
Running your own node changes whom you rely on for chain data. Its peer connections can still reveal network information, so local validation and network anonymity should be evaluated separately.
References: Remote node documentation · Daemon options and console commands
Related glossary terms
Practical guides
Technical baseline: v0.18.5.4. Reviewed 2026-11-08 UTC.