Hive Witness Stresskiller Talks Witness Role, Contributions

Stresskiller shares his journey to becoming a Hive witness and his commitment to the community

Published on Feb. 14, 2026

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In a special edition interview, Hive witness Stresskiller discusses his motivations for becoming a witness, the responsibilities of the role, the setup of his witness node, the challenges he has faced, and his contributions to the Hive ecosystem beyond maintaining his node. Stresskiller also shares his priorities for Hive's future and his thoughts on what makes a great witness.

Why it matters

Hive witnesses play a crucial role in maintaining the integrity and security of the Hive blockchain. Understanding the perspectives and experiences of individual witnesses provides valuable insights into the inner workings of the Hive community and the efforts being made to support its long-term growth and development.

The details

Stresskiller has been involved in computers and technology since the 1970s, from programming on an Aquarius computer to running a BBS in the 1990s. He decided to set up a Hive witness this year, motivated by his extensive technical background and the desire to contribute to the platform. As a witness, Stresskiller's primary responsibility is to be online 24/7 and produce blocks on the Hive chain every 3 hours. To ensure the reliability and security of his witness node, Stresskiller has set up a mini PC at home, with plans to connect it to a UPS for power outage protection. He has also implemented additional security measures, such as a Pfsense router/firewall and Adguard custom DNS.

  • Stresskiller has been involved in computers and technology since the 1970s.
  • Stresskiller set up his Hive witness node this year.

The players

Stresskiller

A Hive witness who has been involved in computers and technology since the 1970s, and set up his witness node this year to contribute to the Hive platform.

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What they’re saying

“Since 1979 I have done all kinds of things on computers, programing in basic with 16kb memory on an Aquarius computer , gaming on the Commodore 64 , Gaming on the Atari 2600 , Gaming and programing on the Amiga 500 , Amiga 1000 , including running a BBS with 1200 baud modem and a 20MB harddrive.”

— Stresskiller (hive.blog)

“A witness needs to be online 24/7 ready to produce a block on the chain, at my current rank i produce a block every 3 hours , i make sure that if i have to maintenance on the server or router that i do it within those 3 hours so that i won't mis a block .”

— Stresskiller (hive.blog)

The takeaway

Stresskiller's commitment to maintaining a reliable and secure Hive witness node, as well as his efforts to contribute to the Hive ecosystem through curation and community engagement, highlight the dedication and diverse skills of Hive witnesses. Their work is crucial in ensuring the ongoing stability and growth of the Hive blockchain.