The Node:

Running the IRI software enables your device to communicate with neighbors in the peer-to-peer network that the Tangle operates on. Any device connected to the network.

What is IRI?

The IOTA Reference implementation, commonly known as IRI, is the reference implementation of the IOTA 'node' software in Java. The IRI software enables the Tangle to operate by enabling individuals to run the software and operate a Node.

Why run a Node?

It encourages decentralization of the network, and removes the need to trust a third party node to access the Tangle.