diff --git a/autopilot/prefattach_test.go b/autopilot/prefattach_test.go
index d9ec63044..3ab0c4fc3 100644
--- a/autopilot/prefattach_test.go
+++ b/autopilot/prefattach_test.go
@@ -417,20 +417,20 @@ func (d *testDBGraph) addRandChannel(node1, node2 *btcec.PublicKey,
 			case errors.Is(err, graphdb.ErrGraphNodeNotFound):
 				fallthrough
 			case errors.Is(err, graphdb.ErrGraphNotFound):
-				graphNode := &models.Node{
-					Addresses: []net.Addr{&net.TCPAddr{
-						IP: bytes.Repeat(
-							[]byte("a"), 16,
-						),
-					}},
-					Features: lnwire.NewFeatureVector(
-						nil, lnwire.Features,
-					),
-					AuthSigBytes: testSig.Serialize(),
-				}
-				copy(
-					graphNode.PubKeyBytes[:],
-					pub.SerializeCompressed(),
+				//nolint:ll
+				graphNode := models.NewV1Node(
+					route.NewVertex(pub),
+					&models.NodeV1Fields{
+						Addresses: []net.Addr{&net.TCPAddr{
+							IP: bytes.Repeat(
+								[]byte("a"), 16,
+							),
+						}},
+						Features: lnwire.NewFeatureVector(
+							nil, lnwire.Features,
+						).RawFeatureVector,
+						AuthSigBytes: testSig.Serialize(),
+					},
 				)
 				err := d.db.AddNode(
 					context.Background(), graphNode,
@@ -449,18 +449,18 @@ func (d *testDBGraph) addRandChannel(node1, node2 *btcec.PublicKey,
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
-		dbNode := &models.Node{
-			Addresses: []net.Addr{
-				&net.TCPAddr{
+
+		dbNode := models.NewV1Node(
+			route.NewVertex(nodeKey), &models.NodeV1Fields{
+				Addresses: []net.Addr{&net.TCPAddr{
 					IP: bytes.Repeat([]byte("a"), 16),
-				},
+				}},
+				Features: lnwire.NewFeatureVector(
+					nil, lnwire.Features,
+				).RawFeatureVector,
+				AuthSigBytes: testSig.Serialize(),
 			},
-			Features: lnwire.NewFeatureVector(
-				nil, lnwire.Features,
-			),
-			AuthSigBytes: testSig.Serialize(),
-		}
-		copy(dbNode.PubKeyBytes[:], nodeKey.SerializeCompressed())
+		)
 		if err := d.db.AddNode(
 			context.Background(), dbNode,
 		); err != nil {
@@ -549,18 +549,19 @@ func (d *testDBGraph) addRandNode() (*btcec.PublicKey, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	dbNode := &models.Node{
-		Addresses: []net.Addr{
-			&net.TCPAddr{
-				IP: bytes.Repeat([]byte("a"), 16),
+	dbNode := models.NewV1Node(
+		route.NewVertex(nodeKey), &models.NodeV1Fields{
+			Addresses: []net.Addr{
+				&net.TCPAddr{
+					IP: bytes.Repeat([]byte("a"), 16),
+				},
 			},
+			Features: lnwire.NewFeatureVector(
+				nil, lnwire.Features,
+			).RawFeatureVector,
+			AuthSigBytes: testSig.Serialize(),
 		},
-		Features: lnwire.NewFeatureVector(
-			nil, lnwire.Features,
-		),
-		AuthSigBytes: testSig.Serialize(),
-	}
-	copy(dbNode.PubKeyBytes[:], nodeKey.SerializeCompressed())
+	)
 	err = d.db.AddNode(context.Background(), dbNode)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
diff --git a/channeldb/db_test.go b/channeldb/db_test.go
index 50a94574e..e2e9a1970 100644
--- a/channeldb/db_test.go
+++ b/channeldb/db_test.go
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/kvdb"
 	"github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/lntypes"
 	"github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/lnwire"
+	"github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/routing/route"
 	"github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/shachain"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
@@ -811,15 +812,17 @@ func createNode(priv *btcec.PrivateKey) *models.Node {
 	updateTime := rand.Int63()
 
 	pub := priv.PubKey().SerializeCompressed()
-	n := &models.Node{
-		AuthSigBytes: testSig.Serialize(),
-		LastUpdate:   time.Unix(updateTime, 0),
-		Color:        color.RGBA{1, 2, 3, 0},
-		Alias:        "kek" + string(pub),
-		Features:     testFeatures,
-		Addresses:    testAddrs,
-	}
-	copy(n.PubKeyBytes[:], priv.PubKey().SerializeCompressed())
+	n := models.NewV1Node(
+		route.NewVertex(priv.PubKey()),
+		&models.NodeV1Fields{
+			AuthSigBytes: testSig.Serialize(),
+			LastUpdate:   time.Unix(updateTime, 0),
+			Color:        color.RGBA{1, 2, 3, 0},
+			Alias:        "kek" + string(pub),
+			Features:     testFeatures.RawFeatureVector,
+			Addresses:    testAddrs,
+		},
+	)
 
 	return n
 }
diff --git a/graph/builder_test.go b/graph/builder_test.go
index 6e362fb82..72f271985 100644
--- a/graph/builder_test.go
+++ b/graph/builder_test.go
@@ -97,15 +97,16 @@ func TestIgnoreNodeAnnouncement(t *testing.T) {
 	ctx := createTestCtxFromFile(t, startingBlockHeight, basicGraphFilePath)
 
 	pub := priv1.PubKey()
-	node := &models.Node{
-		LastUpdate:   time.Unix(123, 0),
-		Addresses:    testAddrs,
-		Color:        color.RGBA{1, 2, 3, 0},
-		Alias:        "node11",
-		AuthSigBytes: testSig.Serialize(),
-		Features:     testFeatures,
-	}
-	copy(node.PubKeyBytes[:], pub.SerializeCompressed())
+	node := models.NewV1Node(
+		route.NewVertex(pub), &models.NodeV1Fields{
+			Addresses:    testAddrs,
+			AuthSigBytes: testSig.Serialize(),
+			Features:     testFeatures.RawFeatureVector,
+			LastUpdate:   time.Unix(123, 0),
+			Color:        color.RGBA{1, 2, 3, 0},
+			Alias:        "node11",
+		},
+	)
 
 	err := ctx.builder.AddNode(t.Context(), node)
 	if !IsError(err, ErrIgnored) {
@@ -1083,15 +1084,16 @@ func TestIsStaleNode(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// With the node stub in the database, we'll add the fully node
 	// announcement to the database.
-	n1 := &models.Node{
-		LastUpdate:   updateTimeStamp,
-		Addresses:    testAddrs,
-		Color:        color.RGBA{1, 2, 3, 0},
-		Alias:        "node11",
-		AuthSigBytes: testSig.Serialize(),
-		Features:     testFeatures,
-	}
-	copy(n1.PubKeyBytes[:], priv1.PubKey().SerializeCompressed())
+	n1 := models.NewV1Node(
+		route.NewVertex(priv1.PubKey()), &models.NodeV1Fields{
+			LastUpdate:   updateTimeStamp,
+			Addresses:    testAddrs,
+			Color:        color.RGBA{1, 2, 3, 0},
+			Alias:        "node11",
+			AuthSigBytes: testSig.Serialize(),
+			Features:     testFeatures.RawFeatureVector,
+		},
+	)
 	if err := ctx.builder.AddNode(t.Context(), n1); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("could not add node: %v", err)
 	}
@@ -1399,14 +1401,16 @@ func parseTestGraph(t *testing.T, useCache bool, path string) (
 			return nil, err
 		}
 
-		dbNode := &models.Node{
+		pubKey, err := route.NewVertexFromBytes(pubBytes)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+
+		dbNode := models.NewV1Node(pubKey, &models.NodeV1Fields{
 			AuthSigBytes: testSig.Serialize(),
 			LastUpdate:   testTime,
 			Addresses:    testAddrs,
 			Alias:        node.Alias,
-			Features:     testFeatures,
-		}
-		copy(dbNode.PubKeyBytes[:], pubBytes)
+			Features:     testFeatures.RawFeatureVector,
+		})
 
 		// We require all aliases within the graph to be unique for our
 		// tests.
@@ -1784,15 +1788,15 @@ func createTestGraphFromChannels(t *testing.T, useCache bool,
 			features = lnwire.EmptyFeatureVector()
 		}
 
-		dbNode := &models.Node{
-			AuthSigBytes: testSig.Serialize(),
-			LastUpdate:   testTime,
-			Addresses:    testAddrs,
-			Alias:        alias,
-			Features:     features,
-		}
-
-		copy(dbNode.PubKeyBytes[:], pubKey.SerializeCompressed())
+		dbNode := models.NewV1Node(
+			route.NewVertex(pubKey), &models.NodeV1Fields{
+				AuthSigBytes: testSig.Serialize(),
+				LastUpdate:   testTime,
+				Addresses:    testAddrs,
+				Alias:        alias,
+				Features:     features.RawFeatureVector,
+			},
+		)
 
 		privKeyMap[alias] = privKey
 
diff --git a/graph/db/graph_test.go b/graph/db/graph_test.go
index 2e1235172..e4a8c7fae 100644
--- a/graph/db/graph_test.go
+++ b/graph/db/graph_test.go
@@ -70,18 +70,18 @@ var (
 )
 
 func createNode(priv *btcec.PrivateKey) *models.Node {
-	pub := priv.PubKey().SerializeCompressed()
-	n := &models.Node{
-		AuthSigBytes: testSig.Serialize(),
-		LastUpdate:   nextUpdateTime(),
-		Color:        color.RGBA{1, 2, 3, 0},
-		Alias:        "kek" + hex.EncodeToString(pub),
-		Features:     testFeatures,
-		Addresses:    testAddrs,
-	}
-	copy(n.PubKeyBytes[:], priv.PubKey().SerializeCompressed())
+	pubKey := route.NewVertex(priv.PubKey())
 
-	return n
+	return models.NewV1Node(
+		pubKey, &models.NodeV1Fields{
+			LastUpdate:   nextUpdateTime(),
+			Color:        color.RGBA{1, 2, 3, 0},
+			Alias:        "kek" + hex.EncodeToString(pubKey[:]),
+			Addresses:    testAddrs,
+			Features:     testFeatures.RawFeatureVector,
+			AuthSigBytes: testSig.Serialize(),
+		},
+	)
 }
 
 func createTestVertex(t testing.TB) *models.Node {
@@ -105,16 +105,18 @@ func TestNodeInsertionAndDeletion(t *testing.T) {
 	timeStamp := int64(1232342)
 	nodeWithAddrs := func(addrs []net.Addr) *models.Node {
 		timeStamp++
-		return &models.Node{
-			AuthSigBytes:    testSig.Serialize(),
-			LastUpdate:      time.Unix(timeStamp, 0),
-			Color:           color.RGBA{1, 2, 3, 0},
-			Alias:           "kek",
-			Features:        testFeatures,
-			Addresses:       addrs,
-			ExtraOpaqueData: []byte{1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2},
-			PubKeyBytes:     testPub,
-		}
+
+		return models.NewV1Node(
+			testPub, &models.NodeV1Fields{
+				AuthSigBytes:    testSig.Serialize(),
+				LastUpdate:      time.Unix(timeStamp, 0),
+				Color:           color.RGBA{1, 2, 3, 0},
+				Alias:           "kek",
+				Features:        testFeatures.RawFeatureVector,
+				Addresses:       addrs,
+				ExtraOpaqueData: []byte{1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2},
+			},
+		)
 	}
 
 	// First, insert the node into the graph DB. This should succeed
@@ -313,11 +315,7 @@ func TestPartialNode(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// The two nodes should match exactly! (with default values for
 	// LastUpdate and db set to satisfy compareNodes())
-	expectedNode1 := &models.Node{
-		LastUpdate:  time.Unix(0, 0),
-		PubKeyBytes: pubKey1,
-		Features:    lnwire.EmptyFeatureVector(),
-	}
+	expectedNode1 := models.NewV1ShellNode(pubKey1)
 	compareNodes(t, expectedNode1, dbNode1)
 
 	_, exists, err = graph.HasNode(ctx, dbNode2.PubKeyBytes)
@@ -326,11 +324,7 @@ func TestPartialNode(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// The two nodes should match exactly! (with default values for
 	// LastUpdate and db set to satisfy compareNodes())
-	expectedNode2 := &models.Node{
-		LastUpdate:  time.Unix(0, 0),
-		PubKeyBytes: pubKey2,
-		Features:    lnwire.EmptyFeatureVector(),
-	}
+	expectedNode2 := models.NewV1ShellNode(pubKey2)
 	compareNodes(t, expectedNode2, dbNode2)
 
 	// Next, delete the node from the graph, this should purge all data
@@ -365,7 +359,7 @@ func TestAliasLookup(t *testing.T) {
 	require.NoError(t, err, "unable to generate pubkey")
 	dbAlias, err := graph.LookupAlias(ctx, nodePub)
 	require.NoError(t, err, "unable to find alias")
-	require.Equal(t, testNode.Alias, dbAlias)
+	require.Equal(t, testNode.Alias.UnwrapOr(""), dbAlias)
 
 	// Ensure that looking up a non-existent alias results in an error.
 	node := createTestVertex(t)
@@ -1600,7 +1594,7 @@ func fillTestGraph(t testing.TB, graph *ChannelGraph, numNodes,
 		node := createTestVertex(t)
 
 		nodes[i] = node
-		nodeIndex[node.Alias] = struct{}{}
+		nodeIndex[node.Alias.UnwrapOr("")] = struct{}{}
 	}
 
 	// Add each of the nodes into the graph, they should be inserted
@@ -1612,7 +1606,7 @@ func fillTestGraph(t testing.TB, graph *ChannelGraph, numNodes,
 	// Iterate over each node as returned by the graph, if all nodes are
 	// reached, then the map created above should be empty.
 	err := graph.ForEachNode(ctx, func(n *models.Node) error {
-		delete(nodeIndex, n.Alias)
+		delete(nodeIndex, n.Alias.UnwrapOr(""))
 		return nil
 	}, func() {})
 	require.NoError(t, err)
@@ -2289,7 +2283,7 @@ func TestNodeUpdatesInHorizon(t *testing.T) {
 		require.Len(t, resp, len(queryCase.resp))
 
 		for i := 0; i < len(resp); i++ {
-			compareNodes(t, &queryCase.resp[i], &resp[i])
+			compareNodes(t, &queryCase.resp[i], resp[i])
 		}
 	}
 }
@@ -2487,7 +2481,7 @@ func TestNodeUpdatesInHorizonEarlyTermination(t *testing.T) {
 			)
 
 			// Collect only up to stopAt nodes, breaking afterwards.
-			var collected []models.Node
+			var collected []*models.Node
 			count := 0
 			for node := range iter {
 				if count >= stopAt {
@@ -3824,7 +3818,7 @@ func TestNodePruningUpdateIndexDeletion(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("should have 1 nodes instead have: %v",
 			len(nodesInHorizon))
 	}
-	compareNodes(t, node1, &nodesInHorizon[0])
+	compareNodes(t, node1, nodesInHorizon[0])
 
 	// We'll now delete the node from the graph, this should result in it
 	// being removed from the update index as well.
diff --git a/graph/db/interfaces.go b/graph/db/interfaces.go
index 25eb6f5b1..2d4da91f5 100644
--- a/graph/db/interfaces.go
+++ b/graph/db/interfaces.go
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ type V1Store interface { //nolint:interfacebloat
 	// by two nodes to quickly determine if they have the same set of up to
 	// date node announcements.
 	NodeUpdatesInHorizon(startTime, endTime time.Time,
-		opts ...IteratorOption) iter.Seq2[models.Node, error]
+		opts ...IteratorOption) iter.Seq2[*models.Node, error]
 
 	// FetchNode attempts to look up a target node by its identity
 	// public key. If the node isn't found in the database, then
diff --git a/graph/db/kv_store.go b/graph/db/kv_store.go
index 99c95842f..ae4136e9c 100644
--- a/graph/db/kv_store.go
+++ b/graph/db/kv_store.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"encoding/binary"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"image/color"
 	"io"
 	"iter"
 	"math"
@@ -848,7 +849,7 @@ func forEachNode(db kvdb.Backend,
 
 			// Execute the callback, the transaction will abort if
 			// this returns an error.
-			return cb(tx, &node)
+			return cb(tx, node)
 		})
 	}
 
@@ -945,12 +946,7 @@ func sourceNodeWithTx(nodes kvdb.RBucket) (*models.Node, error) {
 
 	// With the pubKey of the source node retrieved, we're able to
 	// fetch the full node information.
-	node, err := fetchLightningNode(nodes, selfPub)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-
-	return &node, nil
+	return fetchLightningNode(nodes, selfPub)
 }
 
 // SetSourceNode sets the source node within the graph database. The source
@@ -1205,10 +1201,9 @@ func (c *KVStore) addChannelEdge(tx kvdb.RwTx,
 	_, node1Err := fetchLightningNode(nodes, edge.NodeKey1Bytes[:])
 	switch {
 	case errors.Is(node1Err, ErrGraphNodeNotFound):
-		node1Shell := models.Node{
-			PubKeyBytes: edge.NodeKey1Bytes,
-		}
-		err := addLightningNode(tx, &node1Shell)
+		err := addLightningNode(
+			tx, models.NewV1ShellNode(edge.NodeKey1Bytes),
+		)
 		if err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("unable to create shell node "+
 				"for: %x: %w", edge.NodeKey1Bytes, err)
@@ -1220,10 +1215,9 @@ func (c *KVStore) addChannelEdge(tx kvdb.RwTx,
 	_, node2Err := fetchLightningNode(nodes, edge.NodeKey2Bytes[:])
 	switch {
 	case errors.Is(node2Err, ErrGraphNodeNotFound):
-		node2Shell := models.Node{
-			PubKeyBytes: edge.NodeKey2Bytes,
-		}
-		err := addLightningNode(tx, &node2Shell)
+		err := addLightningNode(
+			tx, models.NewV1ShellNode(edge.NodeKey2Bytes),
+		)
 		if err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("unable to create shell node "+
 				"for: %x: %w", edge.NodeKey2Bytes, err)
@@ -2247,8 +2241,8 @@ func (c *KVStore) fetchNextChanUpdateBatch(
 				Info:    &edgeInfo,
 				Policy1: edge1,
 				Policy2: edge2,
-				Node1:   &node1,
-				Node2:   &node2,
+				Node1:   node1,
+				Node2:   node2,
 			}
 
 			state.edgesSeen[chanIDInt] = struct{}{}
@@ -2394,10 +2388,10 @@ func newNodeUpdatesIterator(batchSize int, startTime, endTime time.Time,
 // fetchNextNodeBatch fetches the next batch of node announcements using the
 // iterator state.
 func (c *KVStore) fetchNextNodeBatch(
-	state *nodeUpdatesIterator) ([]models.Node, bool, error) {
+	state *nodeUpdatesIterator) ([]*models.Node, bool, error) {
 
 	var (
-		nodeBatch []models.Node
+		nodeBatch []*models.Node
 		hasMore   bool
 	)
 
@@ -2536,14 +2530,14 @@ func (c *KVStore) fetchNextNodeBatch(
 // update timestamp within the passed range.
 func (c *KVStore) NodeUpdatesInHorizon(startTime,
 	endTime time.Time,
-	opts ...IteratorOption) iter.Seq2[models.Node, error] {
+	opts ...IteratorOption) iter.Seq2[*models.Node, error] {
 
 	cfg := defaultIteratorConfig()
 	for _, opt := range opts {
 		opt(cfg)
 	}
 
-	return func(yield func(models.Node, error) bool) {
+	return func(yield func(*models.Node, error) bool) {
 		// Initialize iterator state.
 		state := newNodeUpdatesIterator(
 			cfg.nodeUpdateIterBatchSize,
@@ -2557,7 +2551,7 @@ func (c *KVStore) NodeUpdatesInHorizon(startTime,
 				log.Errorf("unable to read node updates in "+
 					"horizon: %v", err)
 
-				yield(models.Node{}, err)
+				yield(&models.Node{}, err)
 
 				return
 			}
@@ -2945,8 +2939,8 @@ func (c *KVStore) fetchChanInfos(tx kvdb.RTx, chanIDs []uint64) (
 				Info:    &edgeInfo,
 				Policy1: edge1,
 				Policy2: edge2,
-				Node1:   &node1,
-				Node2:   &node2,
+				Node1:   node1,
+				Node2:   node2,
 			})
 		}
 
@@ -3411,7 +3405,7 @@ func (c *KVStore) fetchLightningNode(tx kvdb.RTx,
 			return err
 		}
 
-		node = &n
+		node = n
 
 		return nil
 	}
@@ -3694,7 +3688,7 @@ func (c *KVStore) fetchOtherNode(tx kvdb.RTx,
 			return err
 		}
 
-		targetNode = &node
+		targetNode = node
 
 		return nil
 	}
@@ -4383,17 +4377,20 @@ func putLightningNode(nodeBucket, aliasBucket, updateIndex kvdb.RwBucket,
 		return err
 	}
 
-	if err := binary.Write(&b, byteOrder, node.Color.R); err != nil {
+	nodeColor := node.Color.UnwrapOr(color.RGBA{})
+
+	if err := binary.Write(&b, byteOrder, nodeColor.R); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	if err := binary.Write(&b, byteOrder, node.Color.G); err != nil {
+	if err := binary.Write(&b, byteOrder, nodeColor.G); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	if err := binary.Write(&b, byteOrder, node.Color.B); err != nil {
+	if err := binary.Write(&b, byteOrder, nodeColor.B); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	if err := wire.WriteVarString(&b, 0, node.Alias); err != nil {
+	err = wire.WriteVarString(&b, 0, node.Alias.UnwrapOr(""))
+	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
@@ -4432,7 +4429,8 @@ func putLightningNode(nodeBucket, aliasBucket, updateIndex kvdb.RwBucket,
 		return err
 	}
 
-	if err := aliasBucket.Put(nodePub, []byte(node.Alias)); err != nil {
+	err = aliasBucket.Put(nodePub, []byte(node.Alias.UnwrapOr("")))
+	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
@@ -4466,11 +4464,11 @@ func putLightningNode(nodeBucket, aliasBucket, updateIndex kvdb.RwBucket,
 }
 
 func fetchLightningNode(nodeBucket kvdb.RBucket,
-	nodePub []byte) (models.Node, error) {
+	nodePub []byte) (*models.Node, error) {
 
 	nodeBytes := nodeBucket.Get(nodePub)
 	if nodeBytes == nil {
-		return models.Node{}, ErrGraphNodeNotFound
+		return nil, ErrGraphNodeNotFound
 	}
 
 	nodeReader := bytes.NewReader(nodeBytes)
@@ -4533,30 +4531,29 @@ func deserializeLightningNodeCacheable(r io.Reader) (route.Vertex,
 	return pubKey, features, nil
 }
 
-func deserializeLightningNode(r io.Reader) (models.Node, error) {
+func deserializeLightningNode(r io.Reader) (*models.Node, error) {
 	var (
-		node    models.Node
 		scratch [8]byte
 		err     error
+		pubKey  [33]byte
 	)
 
-	// Always populate a feature vector, even if we don't have a node
-	// announcement and short circuit below.
-	node.Features = lnwire.EmptyFeatureVector()
-
 	if _, err := r.Read(scratch[:]); err != nil {
-		return models.Node{}, err
+		return nil, err
 	}
 
 	unix := int64(byteOrder.Uint64(scratch[:]))
-	node.LastUpdate = time.Unix(unix, 0)
+	lastUpdate := time.Unix(unix, 0)
 
-	if _, err := io.ReadFull(r, node.PubKeyBytes[:]); err != nil {
-		return models.Node{}, err
+	if _, err := io.ReadFull(r, pubKey[:]); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
 	}
 
+	node := models.NewV1ShellNode(pubKey)
+	node.LastUpdate = lastUpdate
+
 	if _, err := r.Read(scratch[:2]); err != nil {
-		return models.Node{}, err
+		return nil, err
 	}
 
 	hasNodeAnn := byteOrder.Uint16(scratch[:2])
@@ -4568,28 +4565,31 @@ func deserializeLightningNode(r io.Reader) (models.Node, error) {
 
 	// We did get a node announcement for this node, so we'll have the rest
 	// of the data available.
-	if err := binary.Read(r, byteOrder, &node.Color.R); err != nil {
-		return models.Node{}, err
+	var nodeColor color.RGBA
+	if err := binary.Read(r, byteOrder, &nodeColor.R); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
 	}
-	if err := binary.Read(r, byteOrder, &node.Color.G); err != nil {
-		return models.Node{}, err
+	if err := binary.Read(r, byteOrder, &nodeColor.G); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
 	}
-	if err := binary.Read(r, byteOrder, &node.Color.B); err != nil {
-		return models.Node{}, err
+	if err := binary.Read(r, byteOrder, &nodeColor.B); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
 	}
+	node.Color = fn.Some(nodeColor)
 
-	node.Alias, err = wire.ReadVarString(r, 0)
+	alias, err := wire.ReadVarString(r, 0)
 	if err != nil {
-		return models.Node{}, err
+		return nil, err
 	}
+	node.Alias = fn.Some(alias)
 
 	err = node.Features.Decode(r)
 	if err != nil {
-		return models.Node{}, err
+		return nil, err
 	}
 
 	if _, err := r.Read(scratch[:2]); err != nil {
-		return models.Node{}, err
+		return nil, err
 	}
 	numAddresses := int(byteOrder.Uint16(scratch[:2]))
 
@@ -4597,7 +4597,7 @@ func deserializeLightningNode(r io.Reader) (models.Node, error) {
 	for i := 0; i < numAddresses; i++ {
 		address, err := DeserializeAddr(r)
 		if err != nil {
-			return models.Node{}, err
+			return nil, err
 		}
 		addresses = append(addresses, address)
 	}
@@ -4605,7 +4605,7 @@ func deserializeLightningNode(r io.Reader) (models.Node, error) {
 
 	node.AuthSigBytes, err = wire.ReadVarBytes(r, 0, 80, "sig")
 	if err != nil {
-		return models.Node{}, err
+		return nil, err
 	}
 
 	// We'll try and see if there are any opaque bytes left, if not, then
@@ -4617,7 +4617,7 @@ func deserializeLightningNode(r io.Reader) (models.Node, error) {
 	case errors.Is(err, io.ErrUnexpectedEOF):
 	case errors.Is(err, io.EOF):
 	case err != nil:
-		return models.Node{}, err
+		return nil, err
 	}
 
 	if len(extraBytes) > 0 {
diff --git a/graph/db/models/node.go b/graph/db/models/node.go
index c347db501..8bbd837db 100644
--- a/graph/db/models/node.go
+++ b/graph/db/models/node.go
@@ -7,7 +7,9 @@ import (
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/btcsuite/btcd/btcec/v2"
+	"github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/fn/v2"
 	"github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/lnwire"
+	"github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/routing/route"
 )
 
 // Node represents an individual vertex/node within the channel graph.
@@ -15,6 +17,9 @@ import (
 // from it. As the graph is directed, a node will also have an incoming edge
 // attached to it for each outgoing edge.
 type Node struct {
+	// Version is the gossip version that this node was advertised on.
+	Version lnwire.GossipVersion
+
 	// PubKeyBytes is the raw bytes of the public key of the target node.
 	PubKeyBytes [33]byte
 	pubKey      *btcec.PublicKey
@@ -27,11 +32,11 @@ type Node struct {
 	Addresses []net.Addr
 
 	// Color is the selected color for the node.
-	Color color.RGBA
+	Color fn.Option[color.RGBA]
 
 	// Alias is a nick-name for the node. The alias can be used to confirm
 	// a node's identity or to serve as a short ID for an address book.
-	Alias string
+	Alias fn.Option[string]
 
 	// AuthSigBytes is the raw signature under the advertised public key
 	// which serves to authenticate the attributes announced by this node.
@@ -49,6 +54,72 @@ type Node struct {
 	ExtraOpaqueData []byte
 }
 
+// NodeV1Fields houses the fields that are specific to a version 1 node
+// announcement.
+type NodeV1Fields struct {
+	// Address is the TCP address this node is reachable over.
+	Addresses []net.Addr
+
+	// AuthSigBytes is the raw signature under the advertised public key
+	// which serves to authenticate the attributes announced by this node.
+	AuthSigBytes []byte
+
+	// Features is the list of protocol features supported by this node.
+	Features *lnwire.RawFeatureVector
+
+	// Color is the selected color for the node.
+	Color color.RGBA
+
+	// Alias is a nick-name for the node. The alias can be used to confirm
+	// a node's identity or to serve as a short ID for an address book.
+	Alias string
+
+	// LastUpdate is the last time the vertex information for this node has
+	// been updated.
+	LastUpdate time.Time
+
+	// ExtraOpaqueData is the set of data that was appended to this
+	// message, some of which we may not actually know how to iterate or
+	// parse. By holding onto this data, we ensure that we're able to
+	// properly validate the set of signatures that cover these new fields,
+	// and ensure we're able to make upgrades to the network in a forwards
+	// compatible manner.
+	ExtraOpaqueData []byte
+}
+
+// NewV1Node creates a new version 1 node from the passed fields.
+func NewV1Node(pub route.Vertex, n *NodeV1Fields) *Node {
+	return &Node{
+		Version:      lnwire.GossipVersion1,
+		PubKeyBytes:  pub,
+		Addresses:    n.Addresses,
+		AuthSigBytes: n.AuthSigBytes,
+		Features: lnwire.NewFeatureVector(
+			n.Features, lnwire.Features,
+		),
+		Color:           fn.Some(n.Color),
+		Alias:           fn.Some(n.Alias),
+		LastUpdate:      n.LastUpdate,
+		ExtraOpaqueData: n.ExtraOpaqueData,
+	}
+}
+
+// NewV1ShellNode creates a new shell version 1 node.
+func NewV1ShellNode(pubKey route.Vertex) *Node {
+	return NewShellNode(lnwire.GossipVersion1, pubKey)
+}
+
+// NewShellNode creates a new shell node with the given gossip version and
+// public key.
+func NewShellNode(v lnwire.GossipVersion, pubKey route.Vertex) *Node {
+	return &Node{
+		Version:     v,
+		PubKeyBytes: pubKey,
+		Features:    lnwire.EmptyFeatureVector(),
+		LastUpdate:  time.Unix(0, 0),
+	}
+}
+
 // HaveAnnouncement returns true if we have received a node announcement for
 // this node. We determine this by checking if we have a signature for the
 // announcement.
@@ -85,7 +156,7 @@ func (n *Node) NodeAnnouncement(signed bool) (*lnwire.NodeAnnouncement1,
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("node does not have node announcement")
 	}
 
-	alias, err := lnwire.NewNodeAlias(n.Alias)
+	alias, err := lnwire.NewNodeAlias(n.Alias.UnwrapOr(""))
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -93,7 +164,7 @@ func (n *Node) NodeAnnouncement(signed bool) (*lnwire.NodeAnnouncement1,
 	nodeAnn := &lnwire.NodeAnnouncement1{
 		Features:        n.Features.RawFeatureVector,
 		NodeID:          n.PubKeyBytes,
-		RGBColor:        n.Color,
+		RGBColor:        n.Color.UnwrapOr(color.RGBA{}),
 		Alias:           alias,
 		Addresses:       n.Addresses,
 		Timestamp:       uint32(n.LastUpdate.Unix()),
@@ -118,16 +189,17 @@ func (n *Node) NodeAnnouncement(signed bool) (*lnwire.NodeAnnouncement1,
 // lnwire.NodeAnnouncement1 message.
 func NodeFromWireAnnouncement(msg *lnwire.NodeAnnouncement1) *Node {
 	timestamp := time.Unix(int64(msg.Timestamp), 0)
-	features := lnwire.NewFeatureVector(msg.Features, lnwire.Features)
 
-	return &Node{
-		LastUpdate:      timestamp,
-		Addresses:       msg.Addresses,
-		PubKeyBytes:     msg.NodeID,
-		Alias:           msg.Alias.String(),
-		AuthSigBytes:    msg.Signature.ToSignatureBytes(),
-		Features:        features,
-		Color:           msg.RGBColor,
-		ExtraOpaqueData: msg.ExtraOpaqueData,
-	}
+	return NewV1Node(
+		msg.NodeID,
+		&NodeV1Fields{
+			LastUpdate:      timestamp,
+			Addresses:       msg.Addresses,
+			Alias:           msg.Alias.String(),
+			AuthSigBytes:    msg.Signature.ToSignatureBytes(),
+			Features:        msg.Features,
+			Color:           msg.RGBColor,
+			ExtraOpaqueData: msg.ExtraOpaqueData,
+		},
+	)
 }
diff --git a/graph/db/notifications.go b/graph/db/notifications.go
index eecc38c27..54a748c66 100644
--- a/graph/db/notifications.go
+++ b/graph/db/notifications.go
@@ -391,9 +391,11 @@ func (c *ChannelGraph) addToTopologyChange(update *TopologyChange,
 		nodeUpdate := &NetworkNodeUpdate{
 			Addresses:   m.Addresses,
 			IdentityKey: pubKey,
-			Alias:       m.Alias,
-			Color:       EncodeHexColor(m.Color),
-			Features:    m.Features.Clone(),
+			Alias:       m.Alias.UnwrapOr(""),
+			Color: EncodeHexColor(
+				m.Color.UnwrapOr(color.RGBA{}),
+			),
+			Features: m.Features.Clone(),
 		}
 
 		update.NodeUpdates = append(update.NodeUpdates, nodeUpdate)
diff --git a/graph/db/sql_migration.go b/graph/db/sql_migration.go
index 71a5525cb..5b5f6bf40 100644
--- a/graph/db/sql_migration.go
+++ b/graph/db/sql_migration.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"database/sql"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"image/color"
 	"net"
 	"slices"
 	"time"
@@ -1451,8 +1452,10 @@ func insertNodeSQLMig(ctx context.Context, db SQLQueries,
 
 	if node.HaveAnnouncement() {
 		params.LastUpdate = sqldb.SQLInt64(node.LastUpdate.Unix())
-		params.Color = sqldb.SQLStrValid(EncodeHexColor(node.Color))
-		params.Alias = sqldb.SQLStrValid(node.Alias)
+		params.Color = sqldb.SQLStrValid(
+			EncodeHexColor(node.Color.UnwrapOr(color.RGBA{})),
+		)
+		params.Alias = sqldb.SQLStrValid(node.Alias.UnwrapOr(""))
 		params.Signature = node.AuthSigBytes
 	}
 
diff --git a/graph/db/sql_migration_test.go b/graph/db/sql_migration_test.go
index fd44e0f33..9819cf7f9 100644
--- a/graph/db/sql_migration_test.go
+++ b/graph/db/sql_migration_test.go
@@ -384,9 +384,7 @@ func TestMigrateGraphToSQL(t *testing.T) {
 				// The PruneGraph call requires that the source
 				// node be set. So that is the first object
 				// we will write.
-				&models.Node{
-					PubKeyBytes: testPub,
-				},
+				models.NewV1ShellNode(testPub),
 				// Now we add some block heights to prune
 				// the graph at.
 				uint32(1), uint32(2), uint32(20), uint32(3),
@@ -746,16 +744,15 @@ type testNodeOpt func(*models.Node)
 // makeTestNode can be used to create a test models.Node. The
 // functional options can be used to modify the node's attributes.
 func makeTestNode(t *testing.T, opts ...testNodeOpt) *models.Node {
-	n := &models.Node{
+	n := models.NewV1Node(genPubKey(t), &models.NodeV1Fields{
 		AuthSigBytes:    testSigBytes,
 		LastUpdate:      testTime,
 		Color:           testColor,
 		Alias:           "kek",
-		Features:        testFeatures,
+		Features:        testFeatures.RawFeatureVector,
 		Addresses:       testAddrs,
 		ExtraOpaqueData: testExtraData,
-		PubKeyBytes:     genPubKey(t),
-	}
+	})
 
 	for _, opt := range opts {
 		opt(n)
@@ -774,11 +771,7 @@ func makeTestNode(t *testing.T, opts ...testNodeOpt) *models.Node {
 func makeTestShellNode(t *testing.T,
 	opts ...testNodeOpt) *models.Node {
 
-	n := &models.Node{
-		PubKeyBytes: genPubKey(t),
-		Features:    testEmptyFeatures,
-		LastUpdate:  time.Unix(0, 0),
-	}
+	n := models.NewV1ShellNode(genPubKey(t))
 
 	for _, opt := range opts {
 		opt(n)
@@ -1813,18 +1806,15 @@ func genRandomNode(t *rapid.T) *models.Node {
 		extraOpaqueData = nil
 	}
 
-	node := &models.Node{
-		AuthSigBytes: sigBytes,
-		LastUpdate:   randTime,
-		Color:        randColor,
-		Alias:        alias.String(),
-		Features: lnwire.NewFeatureVector(
-			features, lnwire.Features,
-		),
+	node := models.NewV1Node(pubKeyBytes, &models.NodeV1Fields{
+		AuthSigBytes:    sigBytes,
+		LastUpdate:      randTime,
+		Color:           randColor,
+		Alias:           alias.String(),
+		Features:        features,
 		Addresses:       addrs,
 		ExtraOpaqueData: extraOpaqueData,
-		PubKeyBytes:     pubKeyBytes,
-	}
+	})
 
 	// We call this method so that the internal pubkey field is populated
 	// which then lets us to proper struct comparison later on.
diff --git a/graph/db/sql_store.go b/graph/db/sql_store.go
index d63021abd..3578fd945 100644
--- a/graph/db/sql_store.go
+++ b/graph/db/sql_store.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"encoding/hex"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	color "image/color"
 	"iter"
 	"maps"
 	"math"
@@ -555,14 +556,14 @@ func (s *SQLStore) SetSourceNode(ctx context.Context,
 //
 // NOTE: This is part of the V1Store interface.
 func (s *SQLStore) NodeUpdatesInHorizon(startTime, endTime time.Time,
-	opts ...IteratorOption) iter.Seq2[models.Node, error] {
+	opts ...IteratorOption) iter.Seq2[*models.Node, error] {
 
 	cfg := defaultIteratorConfig()
 	for _, opt := range opts {
 		opt(cfg)
 	}
 
-	return func(yield func(models.Node, error) bool) {
+	return func(yield func(*models.Node, error) bool) {
 		var (
 			ctx            = context.TODO()
 			lastUpdateTime sql.NullInt64
@@ -573,7 +574,7 @@ func (s *SQLStore) NodeUpdatesInHorizon(startTime, endTime time.Time,
 		// Each iteration, we'll read a batch amount of nodes, yield
 		// them, then decide is we have more or not.
 		for hasMore {
-			var batch []models.Node
+			var batch []*models.Node
 
 			//nolint:ll
 			err := s.db.ExecTx(ctx, sqldb.ReadTxOpt(), func(db SQLQueries) error {
@@ -607,7 +608,7 @@ func (s *SQLStore) NodeUpdatesInHorizon(startTime, endTime time.Time,
 				err = forEachNodeInBatch(
 					ctx, s.cfg.QueryCfg, db, rows,
 					func(_ int64, node *models.Node) error {
-						batch = append(batch, *node)
+						batch = append(batch, node)
 
 						// Update pagination cursors
 						// based on the last processed
@@ -629,14 +630,14 @@ func (s *SQLStore) NodeUpdatesInHorizon(startTime, endTime time.Time,
 
 				return nil
 			}, func() {
-				batch = []models.Node{}
+				batch = []*models.Node{}
 			})
 
 			if err != nil {
 				log.Errorf("NodeUpdatesInHorizon batch "+
 					"error: %v", err)
 
-				yield(models.Node{}, err)
+				yield(&models.Node{}, err)
 
 				return
 			}
@@ -3485,27 +3486,30 @@ func buildNodeWithBatchData(dbNode sqlc.GraphNode,
 	var pub [33]byte
 	copy(pub[:], dbNode.PubKey)
 
-	node := &models.Node{
-		PubKeyBytes: pub,
-		Features:    lnwire.EmptyFeatureVector(),
-		LastUpdate:  time.Unix(0, 0),
-	}
+	node := models.NewV1ShellNode(pub)
 
 	if len(dbNode.Signature) == 0 {
 		return node, nil
 	}
 
 	node.AuthSigBytes = dbNode.Signature
-	node.Alias = dbNode.Alias.String
-	node.LastUpdate = time.Unix(dbNode.LastUpdate.Int64, 0)
+
+	if dbNode.Alias.Valid {
+		node.Alias = fn.Some(dbNode.Alias.String)
+	}
+	if dbNode.LastUpdate.Valid {
+		node.LastUpdate = time.Unix(dbNode.LastUpdate.Int64, 0)
+	}
 
 	var err error
 	if dbNode.Color.Valid {
-		node.Color, err = DecodeHexColor(dbNode.Color.String)
+		nodeColor, err := DecodeHexColor(dbNode.Color.String)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("unable to decode color: %w",
 				err)
 		}
+
+		node.Color = fn.Some(nodeColor)
 	}
 
 	// Use preloaded features.
@@ -3608,9 +3612,26 @@ func upsertNode(ctx context.Context, db SQLQueries,
 	}
 
 	if node.HaveAnnouncement() {
-		params.LastUpdate = sqldb.SQLInt64(node.LastUpdate.Unix())
-		params.Color = sqldb.SQLStrValid(EncodeHexColor(node.Color))
-		params.Alias = sqldb.SQLStrValid(node.Alias)
+		switch node.Version {
+		case lnwire.GossipVersion1:
+			params.LastUpdate = sqldb.SQLInt64(
+				node.LastUpdate.Unix(),
+			)
+
+		case lnwire.GossipVersion2:
+
+		default:
+			return 0, fmt.Errorf("unknown gossip version: %d",
+				node.Version)
+		}
+
+		node.Color.WhenSome(func(rgba color.RGBA) {
+			params.Color = sqldb.SQLStrValid(EncodeHexColor(rgba))
+		})
+		node.Alias.WhenSome(func(s string) {
+			params.Alias = sqldb.SQLStrValid(s)
+		})
+
 		params.Signature = node.AuthSigBytes
 	}
 
diff --git a/graph/notifications_test.go b/graph/notifications_test.go
index c3db240c7..3a30486c9 100644
--- a/graph/notifications_test.go
+++ b/graph/notifications_test.go
@@ -83,15 +83,16 @@ func createTestNode(t *testing.T) *models.Node {
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 
 	pub := priv.PubKey().SerializeCompressed()
-	n := &models.Node{
-		LastUpdate:   time.Unix(updateTime, 0),
-		Addresses:    testAddrs,
-		Color:        color.RGBA{1, 2, 3, 0},
-		Alias:        "kek" + hex.EncodeToString(pub),
-		AuthSigBytes: testSig.Serialize(),
-		Features:     testFeatures,
-	}
-	copy(n.PubKeyBytes[:], pub)
+	n := models.NewV1Node(
+		route.NewVertex(priv.PubKey()), &models.NodeV1Fields{
+			LastUpdate:   time.Unix(updateTime, 0),
+			Addresses:    testAddrs,
+			Color:        color.RGBA{1, 2, 3, 0},
+			Alias:        "kek" + hex.EncodeToString(pub),
+			AuthSigBytes: testSig.Serialize(),
+			Features:     testFeatures.RawFeatureVector,
+		},
+	)
 
 	return n
 }
@@ -699,15 +700,12 @@ func TestNodeUpdateNotification(t *testing.T) {
 			t, testFeaturesBuf.Bytes(), featuresBuf.Bytes(),
 		)
 
-		if nodeUpdate.Alias != ann.Alias {
-			t.Fatalf("node alias doesn't match: expected %v, got %v",
-				ann.Alias, nodeUpdate.Alias)
-		}
-		if nodeUpdate.Color != graphdb.EncodeHexColor(ann.Color) {
-			t.Fatalf("node color doesn't match: expected %v, "+
-				"got %v", graphdb.EncodeHexColor(ann.Color),
-				nodeUpdate.Color)
-		}
+		require.Equal(t, nodeUpdate.Alias, ann.Alias.UnwrapOr(""))
+		require.Equal(
+			t, nodeUpdate.Color, graphdb.EncodeHexColor(
+				ann.Color.UnwrapOr(color.RGBA{}),
+			),
+		)
 	}
 
 	// Create lookup map for notifications we are intending to receive. Entries
diff --git a/lnrpc/devrpc/dev_server.go b/lnrpc/devrpc/dev_server.go
index de142b9d9..39c089dff 100644
--- a/lnrpc/devrpc/dev_server.go
+++ b/lnrpc/devrpc/dev_server.go
@@ -226,18 +226,7 @@ func (s *Server) ImportGraph(ctx context.Context,
 
 	var err error
 	for _, rpcNode := range graph.Nodes {
-		node := &models.Node{
-			LastUpdate: time.Unix(
-				int64(rpcNode.LastUpdate), 0,
-			),
-			Alias: rpcNode.Alias,
-			// NOTE: this is a workaround to ensure that
-			// HaveAnnouncement() returns true so that the other
-			// fields are properly persisted. However,
-			AuthSigBytes: []byte{0},
-		}
-
-		node.PubKeyBytes, err = parsePubKey(rpcNode.PubKey)
+		pubKeyBytes, err := parsePubKey(rpcNode.PubKey)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
@@ -254,15 +243,25 @@ func (s *Server) ImportGraph(ctx context.Context,
 		}
 
 		featureVector := lnwire.NewRawFeatureVector(featureBits...)
-		node.Features = lnwire.NewFeatureVector(
-			featureVector, featureNames,
-		)
 
-		node.Color, err = lncfg.ParseHexColor(rpcNode.Color)
+		nodeColor, err := lncfg.ParseHexColor(rpcNode.Color)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
 
+		node := models.NewV1Node(pubKeyBytes, &models.NodeV1Fields{
+			LastUpdate: time.Unix(
+				int64(rpcNode.LastUpdate), 0,
+			),
+			Alias:    rpcNode.Alias,
+			Features: featureVector,
+			Color:    nodeColor,
+			// NOTE: this is a workaround to ensure that
+			// HaveAnnouncement() returns true so that the other
+			// fields are properly persisted. However,
+			AuthSigBytes: []byte{0},
+		})
+
 		if err := graphDB.AddNode(ctx, node); err != nil {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("unable to add node %v: %w",
 				rpcNode.PubKey, err)
diff --git a/routing/pathfind_test.go b/routing/pathfind_test.go
index 664f5c019..473bd413e 100644
--- a/routing/pathfind_test.go
+++ b/routing/pathfind_test.go
@@ -228,14 +228,16 @@ func parseTestGraph(t *testing.T, useCache bool, path string) (
 			return nil, err
 		}
 
-		dbNode := &models.Node{
+		pubKey, err := route.NewVertexFromBytes(pubBytes)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+
+		dbNode := models.NewV1Node(pubKey, &models.NodeV1Fields{
 			AuthSigBytes: testSig.Serialize(),
 			LastUpdate:   testTime,
 			Addresses:    testAddrs,
 			Alias:        node.Alias,
-			Features:     testFeatures,
-		}
-		copy(dbNode.PubKeyBytes[:], pubBytes)
+			Features:     testFeatures.RawFeatureVector,
+		})
 
 		// We require all aliases within the graph to be unique for our
 		// tests.
@@ -564,15 +566,15 @@ func createTestGraphFromChannels(t *testing.T, useCache bool,
 			features = lnwire.EmptyFeatureVector()
 		}
 
-		dbNode := &models.Node{
-			AuthSigBytes: testSig.Serialize(),
-			LastUpdate:   testTime,
-			Addresses:    testAddrs,
-			Alias:        alias,
-			Features:     features,
-		}
-
-		copy(dbNode.PubKeyBytes[:], pubKey.SerializeCompressed())
+		dbNode := models.NewV1Node(
+			route.NewVertex(pubKey), &models.NodeV1Fields{
+				AuthSigBytes: testSig.Serialize(),
+				LastUpdate:   testTime,
+				Addresses:    testAddrs,
+				Alias:        alias,
+				Features:     features.RawFeatureVector,
+			},
+		)
 
 		privKeyMap[alias] = privKey
 
@@ -1249,10 +1251,12 @@ func runPathFindingWithAdditionalEdges(t *testing.T, useCache bool) {
 	dogePubKeyBytes, err := hex.DecodeString(dogePubKeyHex)
 	require.NoError(t, err, "unable to decode public key")
 
-	doge := &models.Node{}
-	copy(doge.PubKeyBytes[:], dogePubKeyBytes[:])
-	doge.Alias = "doge"
-	copy(doge.PubKeyBytes[:], dogePubKeyBytes)
+	pubKey, err := route.NewVertexFromBytes(dogePubKeyBytes)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	doge := models.NewV1Node(pubKey, &models.NodeV1Fields{
+		Alias: "doge",
+	})
 	graph.aliasMap["doge"] = doge.PubKeyBytes
 
 	// Create the channel edge going from songoku to doge and include it in
diff --git a/routing/payment_session_test.go b/routing/payment_session_test.go
index 12d8608a4..547fe0e2d 100644
--- a/routing/payment_session_test.go
+++ b/routing/payment_session_test.go
@@ -89,8 +89,9 @@ func TestUpdateAdditionalEdge(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// Create a minimal test node using the private key priv1.
 	pub := priv1.PubKey().SerializeCompressed()
-	testNode := &models.Node{}
-	copy(testNode.PubKeyBytes[:], pub)
+	var pubKey [33]byte
+	copy(pubKey[:], pub)
+	testNode := models.NewV1ShellNode(pubKey)
 
 	nodeID, err := testNode.PubKey()
 	require.NoError(t, err, "failed to get node id")
diff --git a/routing/router_test.go b/routing/router_test.go
index e46bb1f2b..d087e2d9c 100644
--- a/routing/router_test.go
+++ b/routing/router_test.go
@@ -192,15 +192,16 @@ func createTestNode() (*models.Node, error) {
 	}
 
 	pub := priv.PubKey().SerializeCompressed()
-	n := &models.Node{
-		LastUpdate:   time.Unix(updateTime, 0),
-		Addresses:    testAddrs,
-		Color:        color.RGBA{1, 2, 3, 0},
-		Alias:        "kek" + string(pub),
-		AuthSigBytes: testSig.Serialize(),
-		Features:     testFeatures,
-	}
-	copy(n.PubKeyBytes[:], pub)
+	n := models.NewV1Node(
+		route.NewVertex(priv.PubKey()), &models.NodeV1Fields{
+			LastUpdate:   time.Unix(updateTime, 0),
+			Addresses:    testAddrs,
+			Color:        color.RGBA{1, 2, 3, 0},
+			Alias:        "kek" + string(pub),
+			AuthSigBytes: testSig.Serialize(),
+			Features:     testFeatures.RawFeatureVector,
+		},
+	)
 
 	return n, nil
 }
@@ -2870,27 +2871,29 @@ func TestAddEdgeUnknownVertexes(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// Now check that we can update the node info for the partial node
 	// without messing up the channel graph.
-	n1 := &models.Node{
-		LastUpdate:   time.Unix(123, 0),
-		Addresses:    testAddrs,
-		Color:        color.RGBA{1, 2, 3, 0},
-		Alias:        "node11",
-		AuthSigBytes: testSig.Serialize(),
-		Features:     testFeatures,
-	}
-	copy(n1.PubKeyBytes[:], priv1.PubKey().SerializeCompressed())
+	n1 := models.NewV1Node(
+		route.NewVertex(priv1.PubKey()), &models.NodeV1Fields{
+			LastUpdate:   time.Unix(123, 0),
+			Addresses:    testAddrs,
+			Color:        color.RGBA{1, 2, 3, 0},
+			Alias:        "node11",
+			AuthSigBytes: testSig.Serialize(),
+			Features:     testFeatures.RawFeatureVector,
+		},
+	)
 
 	require.NoError(t, ctx.graph.AddNode(ctxb, n1))
 
-	n2 := &models.Node{
-		LastUpdate:   time.Unix(123, 0),
-		Addresses:    testAddrs,
-		Color:        color.RGBA{1, 2, 3, 0},
-		Alias:        "node22",
-		AuthSigBytes: testSig.Serialize(),
-		Features:     testFeatures,
-	}
-	copy(n2.PubKeyBytes[:], priv2.PubKey().SerializeCompressed())
+	n2 := models.NewV1Node(
+		route.NewVertex(priv2.PubKey()), &models.NodeV1Fields{
+			LastUpdate:   time.Unix(123, 0),
+			Addresses:    testAddrs,
+			Color:        color.RGBA{1, 2, 3, 0},
+			Alias:        "node22",
+			AuthSigBytes: testSig.Serialize(),
+			Features:     testFeatures.RawFeatureVector,
+		},
+	)
 
 	require.NoError(t, ctx.graph.AddNode(ctxb, n2))
 
diff --git a/rpcserver.go b/rpcserver.go
index 603856379..ee810d1e1 100644
--- a/rpcserver.go
+++ b/rpcserver.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"encoding/hex"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"image/color"
 	"io"
 	"maps"
 	"math"
@@ -7187,11 +7188,13 @@ func marshalNode(node *models.Node) *lnrpc.LightningNode {
 	customRecords := marshalExtraOpaqueData(node.ExtraOpaqueData)
 
 	return &lnrpc.LightningNode{
-		LastUpdate:    uint32(node.LastUpdate.Unix()),
-		PubKey:        hex.EncodeToString(node.PubKeyBytes[:]),
-		Addresses:     nodeAddrs,
-		Alias:         node.Alias,
-		Color:         graphdb.EncodeHexColor(node.Color),
+		LastUpdate: uint32(node.LastUpdate.Unix()),
+		PubKey:     hex.EncodeToString(node.PubKeyBytes[:]),
+		Addresses:  nodeAddrs,
+		Alias:      node.Alias.UnwrapOr(""),
+		Color: graphdb.EncodeHexColor(
+			node.Color.UnwrapOr(color.RGBA{}),
+		),
 		Features:      features,
 		CustomRecords: customRecords,
 	}
@@ -8258,9 +8261,9 @@ func (r *rpcServer) ForwardingHistory(ctx context.Context,
 		}
 
 		// Cache the peer alias.
-		chanToPeerAlias[chanID] = peer.Alias
+		chanToPeerAlias[chanID] = peer.Alias.UnwrapOr("")
 
-		return peer.Alias, nil
+		return peer.Alias.UnwrapOr(""), nil
 	}
 
 	// TODO(roasbeef): add settlement latency?
diff --git a/server.go b/server.go
index 3594b7d57..d0289de2a 100644
--- a/server.go
+++ b/server.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"encoding/hex"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"image/color"
 	"math/big"
 	prand "math/rand"
 	"net"
@@ -3299,17 +3300,17 @@ func (s *server) createNewHiddenService(ctx context.Context) error {
 
 	// Finally, we'll update the on-disk version of our announcement so it
 	// will eventually propagate to nodes in the network.
-	selfNode := &models.Node{
-		LastUpdate: time.Unix(int64(newNodeAnn.Timestamp), 0),
-		Addresses:  newNodeAnn.Addresses,
-		Alias:      newNodeAnn.Alias.String(),
-		Features: lnwire.NewFeatureVector(
-			newNodeAnn.Features, lnwire.Features,
-		),
-		Color:        newNodeAnn.RGBColor,
-		AuthSigBytes: newNodeAnn.Signature.ToSignatureBytes(),
-	}
-	copy(selfNode.PubKeyBytes[:], s.identityECDH.PubKey().SerializeCompressed())
+	selfNode := models.NewV1Node(
+		route.NewVertex(s.identityECDH.PubKey()), &models.NodeV1Fields{
+			Addresses:    newNodeAnn.Addresses,
+			Features:     newNodeAnn.Features,
+			AuthSigBytes: newNodeAnn.Signature.ToSignatureBytes(),
+			Color:        newNodeAnn.RGBColor,
+			Alias:        newNodeAnn.Alias.String(),
+			LastUpdate:   time.Unix(int64(newNodeAnn.Timestamp), 0),
+		},
+	)
+
 	if err := s.graphDB.SetSourceNode(ctx, selfNode); err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("can't set self node: %w", err)
 	}
@@ -3425,9 +3426,9 @@ func (s *server) updateAndBroadcastSelfNode(ctx context.Context,
 
 	selfNode.LastUpdate = time.Unix(int64(newNodeAnn.Timestamp), 0)
 	selfNode.Addresses = newNodeAnn.Addresses
-	selfNode.Alias = newNodeAnn.Alias.String()
+	selfNode.Alias = fn.Some(newNodeAnn.Alias.String())
 	selfNode.Features = s.featureMgr.Get(feature.SetNodeAnn)
-	selfNode.Color = newNodeAnn.RGBColor
+	selfNode.Color = fn.Some(newNodeAnn.RGBColor)
 	selfNode.AuthSigBytes = newNodeAnn.Signature.ToSignatureBytes()
 
 	copy(selfNode.PubKeyBytes[:], s.identityECDH.PubKey().SerializeCompressed())
@@ -5583,7 +5584,7 @@ func (s *server) setSelfNode(ctx context.Context, nodePub route.Vertex,
 	// Parse the color from config. We will update this later if the config
 	// color is not changed from default (#3399FF) and we have a value in
 	// the source node.
-	color, err := lncfg.ParseHexColor(s.cfg.Color)
+	nodeColor, err := lncfg.ParseHexColor(s.cfg.Color)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("unable to parse color: %w", err)
 	}
@@ -5607,13 +5608,17 @@ func (s *server) setSelfNode(ctx context.Context, nodePub route.Vertex,
 		// didn't specify a different color in the config. We'll use the
 		// source node's color.
 		if s.cfg.Color == defaultColor {
-			color = srcNode.Color
+			srcNode.Color.WhenSome(func(rgba color.RGBA) {
+				nodeColor = rgba
+			})
 		}
 
 		// If an alias is not specified in the config, we'll use the
 		// source node's alias.
 		if alias == "" {
-			alias = srcNode.Alias
+			srcNode.Alias.WhenSome(func(s string) {
+				alias = s
+			})
 		}
 
 		// If the `externalip` is not specified in the config, it means
@@ -5643,15 +5648,15 @@ func (s *server) setSelfNode(ctx context.Context, nodePub route.Vertex,
 
 	// TODO(abdulkbk): potentially find a way to use the source node's
 	// features in the self node.
-	selfNode := &models.Node{
-		LastUpdate: nodeLastUpdate,
-		Addresses:  addrs,
-		Alias:      nodeAlias.String(),
-		Color:      color,
-		Features:   s.featureMgr.Get(feature.SetNodeAnn),
-	}
-
-	copy(selfNode.PubKeyBytes[:], nodePub[:])
+	selfNode := models.NewV1Node(
+		nodePub, &models.NodeV1Fields{
+			Alias:      nodeAlias.String(),
+			Color:      nodeColor,
+			LastUpdate: nodeLastUpdate,
+			Addresses:  addrs,
+			Features:   s.featureMgr.GetRaw(feature.SetNodeAnn),
+		},
+	)
 
 	// Based on the disk representation of the node announcement generated
 	// above, we'll generate a node announcement that can go out on the