> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.sophon.xyz/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# What Are Guardians?

<Info>**Sophon Guardians** are integral to maintaining the security and decentralization of the Sophon Network.</Info>

**The Sophon Guardian Program** allows members to contribute to the network by:

* Running Sophon Nodes **directly**, or
* **Delegating** their membership to other qualified Sophon node operators

## Guardian Membership Representation

* Guardian memberships are represented as **NFTs** following the [ERC-721](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/standards/tokens/erc-721) standard
* Each NFT corresponds to **one membership**
* Individuals can hold **multiple memberships** by owning multiple NFTs

## Membership Flexibility

Holders of Guardian NFTs have the following options:

* **Operate a Sophon Node**: Run and maintain a node themselves
* **Delegate Membership**: Transfer operational power to trusted node operators who are already running Sophon nodes

<Note>This flexibility ensures both active participation and scalability within the Sophon Network.</Note>