Data Center and ISP Guide
How node providers should approach selecting a data center and an ISP — distributing across countries, gathering quotes, and finalizing a colocation contract.
A node provider chooses both the data center that physically hosts each rack and the ISP that connects it to the internet. The selection matters: spreading across countries and across data centers strengthens the network's overall decentralization, and the provider's contract with the facility is part of the documentation submitted with their self-declaration.
What is required
There are currently no mandatory technical certifications required of the data center itself. The principal requirement is that the data center's physical location is verifiable, so that the network's geographic-distribution rules can be enforced.
That said, distributing nodes across multiple countries and data centers is strongly preferred. Acceptance criteria favor applicants who add geographic and operational diversity rather than replicate it.
A workable seven-step process
The upstream guide recommends the following sequence when selecting a new site.
- Pick a country that needs coverage. Use the world map on the IC dashboard to identify countries with no — or few — nodes, and prioritize deployment there.
- Pick a data center that adds diversity. Check the dashboard's data center page for regional options, and prefer providers that are not already hosting Internet Computer nodes.
- Request data center quotes. Ask each candidate facility for their Monthly Recurring Costs (MRC) for colocation and their Non-Recurring Costs (NRC) for setup.
- Request ISP quotes. Separately, gather ISP quotes for the bandwidth required (see Networking Guide for the per-node figure), again broken into MRC and NRC.
- Visit the most promising sites in person when feasible. A site visit catches problems that paper specifications never reveal — physical security, cable management, on-site staff competence.
- Run the financial analysis. Combine the data-center and ISP quotes with the Node Provider Remuneration model to determine the optimal number of nodes for the site.
- Secure a provisional contract. Obtain a provisional data-center contract; the contract acts as supporting evidence in the Node Provider Self-declaration.
Operational fit
Beyond price, the data center should also satisfy the operational rules covered in the Decentralization and Security Guide:
- Local enough that the provider can inspect it regularly.
- Not controlled by a global corporation whose failure would take down multiple regions at once.
- Staffed by personnel the provider can vet — ideally local hires the provider knows directly.