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Execution client
An execution client is the software in an Ethereum node that handles transactions: it hears new ones, runs them in the EVM, and keeps the current state of every account and contract. Since the Merge it works alongside a consensus client, which decides which blocks to follow.
What it means for you. When a wallet shows a balance or sends a transaction, it asks some execution client, yours or a provider's. Using someone else's node means sharing your addresses and balances with them and trusting their answers; your own node checks every block and transaction against the rules itself.
Sources: ethereum.org: Nodes and clients, ethereum.org: Proof-of-stake · checked 4 October 2026
Consensus client
A consensus client is the software in an Ethereum node that runs proof of stake: it follows the Beacon Chain, tracks validators' votes, and tells the execution client which chain of blocks is valid. A full node runs one alongside an execution client.
What it means for you. Staking ETH yourself means running a consensus client with a validator added to it, and that choice carries risk: a critical bug in a client used by two-thirds of validators could finalize an invalid chain, and validators on it could be slashed heavily.
Sources: ethereum.org: Nodes and clients, ethereum.org: Proof-of-stake, ethereum.org: Client diversity · checked 4 October 2026