Unique Node List (UNL)
Plain definition. The Unique Node List (UNL) is a periodically updated list of recommended validators that XRP Ledger servers trust by default, provided through sites run by the XRPL Foundation and Ripple.
Technical definition. The XRP Ledger documentation describes the recommended UNL as a signed list of recommended validators, meant to include trustworthy and well-maintained servers run by the industry and community, which validator list sites provide and update periodically. By default, XRP Ledger servers use list sites run by the XRPL Foundation and Ripple, check the sites’ contents against public keys in the default configuration, and trust every validator in the latest version, giving 100% overlap with other servers using the same list. Servers also relay the signed list updates directly to one another across the peer-to-peer network, and the documentation warns that in the worst case, overlap below about 90% between trusted validator sets could cause participants to diverge.
On this site
On this site, Unique Node List (UNL) comes up in What would happen to XRP and the XRP Ledger if Ripple failed?, How is XRP kept secure if it isn’t mined?, How do XRP Ledger upgrades (amendments) get approved, and who decides?, Does the default validator list make the XRP Ledger centralized? and Has the XRP Ledger ever halted, forked or lost funds since 2012, and what happened?.
Source
Consensus Protections Against Attacks and Failure Modes (xrpl.org), read October 1, 2026.
Pages that cover Unique Node List (UNL)
- What would happen to XRP and the XRP Ledger if Ripple failed?
- Has the XRP Ledger ever halted, forked or lost funds since 2012, and what happened?
- Does the default validator list make the XRP Ledger centralized?
- How do XRP Ledger upgrades (amendments) get approved, and who decides?
- How is XRP kept secure if it isn't mined?