diff --git a/validator/node/BUILD.bazel b/validator/node/BUILD.bazel
index e8db9be686..2ed76e8114 100644
--- a/validator/node/BUILD.bazel
+++ b/validator/node/BUILD.bazel
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ go_test(
     name = "go_default_test",
     size = "small",
     srcs = ["node_test.go"],
+    data = glob(["testdata/**"]),
     embed = [":go_default_library"],
     deps = [
         "//cmd/validator/flags:go_default_library",
diff --git a/validator/node/node.go b/validator/node/node.go
index 0569540cff..ccaf785c14 100644
--- a/validator/node/node.go
+++ b/validator/node/node.go
@@ -5,7 +5,10 @@ package node
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"io/ioutil"
 	"net/http"
 	"net/url"
 	"os"
@@ -645,3 +648,65 @@ func clearDB(ctx context.Context, dataDir string, force bool) error {
 
 	return nil
 }
+
+func unmarshalFromURL(ctx context.Context, from string, to interface{}) error {
+	u, err := url.ParseRequestURI(from)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	if u.Scheme == "" || u.Host == "" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("invalid URL: %s", from)
+	}
+	req, reqerr := http.NewRequestWithContext(ctx, http.MethodGet, from, nil)
+	if reqerr != nil {
+		return errors.Wrap(reqerr, "failed to create http request")
+	}
+	req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+	resp, resperr := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
+	if resperr != nil {
+		return errors.Wrap(resperr, "failed to send http request")
+	}
+	defer func(Body io.ReadCloser) {
+		err = Body.Close()
+		if err != nil {
+			log.WithError(err).Error("failed to close response body")
+		}
+	}(resp.Body)
+	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
+		return errors.Errorf("http request to %v failed with status code %d", from, resp.StatusCode)
+	}
+	if decodeerr := json.NewDecoder(resp.Body).Decode(&to); decodeerr != nil {
+		return errors.Wrap(decodeerr, "failed to decode http response")
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+func unmarshalFromFile(ctx context.Context, from string, to interface{}) error {
+	if ctx == nil {
+		return errors.New("node: nil context passed to unmarshalFromFile")
+	}
+	cleanpath := filepath.Clean(from)
+	fileExtension := filepath.Ext(cleanpath)
+	if fileExtension != ".json" {
+		return errors.Errorf("unsupported file extension %s , (ex. '.json')", fileExtension)
+	}
+	jsonFile, jsonerr := os.Open(cleanpath)
+	if jsonerr != nil {
+		return errors.Wrap(jsonerr, "failed to open json file")
+	}
+	// defer the closing of our jsonFile so that we can parse it later on
+	defer func(jsonFile *os.File) {
+		err := jsonFile.Close()
+		if err != nil {
+			log.WithError(err).Error("failed to close json file")
+		}
+	}(jsonFile)
+	byteValue, readerror := ioutil.ReadAll(jsonFile)
+	if readerror != nil {
+		return errors.Wrap(readerror, "failed to read json file")
+	}
+	if unmarshalerr := json.Unmarshal(byteValue, &to); unmarshalerr != nil {
+		return errors.Wrap(unmarshalerr, "failed to unmarshal json file")
+	}
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/validator/node/node_test.go b/validator/node/node_test.go
index 852358a2a8..0115a55d36 100644
--- a/validator/node/node_test.go
+++ b/validator/node/node_test.go
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ import (
 	"flag"
 	"fmt"
 	"io/ioutil"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"testing"
@@ -184,3 +186,125 @@ func newWeb3SignerCli(t *testing.T, baseUrl string, publicKeysOrURL string) *cli
 	require.NoError(t, set.Set(flags.Web3SignerPublicValidatorKeysFlag.Name, publicKeysOrURL))
 	return cli.NewContext(&app, set, nil)
 }
+
+type test struct {
+	Foo string `json:"foo"`
+	Bar int    `json:"bar"`
+}
+
+func TestUnmarshalFromFile(t *testing.T) {
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	type args struct {
+		File string
+		To   interface{}
+	}
+	tests := []struct {
+		name        string
+		args        args
+		want        interface{}
+		urlResponse string
+		wantErr     bool
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "Happy Path File",
+			args: args{
+				File: "./testdata/test-unmarshal-good.json",
+				To:   &test{},
+			},
+			want: &test{
+				Foo: "foo",
+				Bar: 1,
+			},
+			wantErr: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "Bad File Path, not json",
+			args: args{
+				File: "./jsontools.go",
+				To:   &test{},
+			},
+			want:    &test{},
+			wantErr: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "Bad File Path",
+			args: args{
+				File: "./testdata/test-unmarshal-bad.json",
+				To:   &test{},
+			},
+			want:    &test{},
+			wantErr: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "Bad File Path, not found",
+			args: args{
+				File: "./test-notfound.json",
+				To:   &test{},
+			},
+			want:    &test{},
+			wantErr: true,
+		},
+	}
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			if err := unmarshalFromFile(ctx, tt.args.File, tt.args.To); (err != nil) != tt.wantErr {
+				t.Errorf(" error = %v, wantErr %v", err, tt.wantErr)
+				return
+			}
+			require.DeepEqual(t, tt.want, tt.args.To)
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestUnmarshalFromURL(t *testing.T) {
+	srv := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		w.WriteHeader(200)
+		w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+		_, err := fmt.Fprintf(w, `{ "foo": "foo", "bar": 1}`)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+	}))
+	defer srv.Close()
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	type args struct {
+		URL string
+		To  interface{}
+	}
+	tests := []struct {
+		name        string
+		args        args
+		want        interface{}
+		urlResponse string
+		wantErr     bool
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "Happy Path URL",
+			args: args{
+				URL: srv.URL,
+				To:  &test{},
+			},
+			want: &test{
+				Foo: "foo",
+				Bar: 1,
+			},
+			wantErr: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "Bad URL",
+			args: args{
+				URL: "sadjflksdjflksadjflkdj",
+				To:  &test{},
+			},
+			want:    &test{},
+			wantErr: true,
+		},
+	}
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			if err := unmarshalFromURL(ctx, tt.args.URL, tt.args.To); (err != nil) != tt.wantErr {
+				t.Errorf(" error = %v, wantErr %v", err, tt.wantErr)
+				return
+			}
+			require.DeepEqual(t, tt.want, tt.args.To)
+		})
+	}
+}
diff --git a/validator/node/testdata/test-unmarshal-bad.json b/validator/node/testdata/test-unmarshal-bad.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0b2fffd4fd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/validator/node/testdata/test-unmarshal-bad.json
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+{
+  "foo": "bar"
diff --git a/validator/node/testdata/test-unmarshal-good.json b/validator/node/testdata/test-unmarshal-good.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c1150b906a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/validator/node/testdata/test-unmarshal-good.json
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+{
+  "foo": "foo",
+  "bar": 1
+}
\ No newline at end of file