How to Export the Full Ethereum Chain Data to AWS S3, Download and Recover on a Local Ethereum Node

This article was originally published on our website https://isab.run. The Medium version offers the same in-depth content and insights.

Introduction

The Ethereum blockchain is growing at an unprecedented rate, which means that setting up a local Ethereum node can take a long time to sync. However, by exporting the full chain data to AWS S3, downloading it and recovering the chain data on a local Ethereum node, the setup process can be accelerated. This article provides a step-by-step guide on how to perform this process.

Step 1: Export the Full Ethereum Chain Data to AWS S3

To export the full Ethereum chain data to AWS S3, you will need to have an AWS account and an S3 bucket. Once you have set up your AWS account and S3 bucket, follow these steps:

Install the AWS CLI

To install the AWS CLI, you will need to have Python 2 or 3 installed on your machine. You can install the AWS CLI using pip by running the following command in your terminal:

pip install awscli

Configure the AWS CLI

After you have installed the AWS CLI, you will need to configure it with your AWS access keys. You can do this by running the following command in your terminal:

aws configure

Export the Ethereum Chain Data to S3

To export the Ethereum chain data to S3, you will need to have a local Ethereum node that is fully synced. Once your node is synced, you can run the following command in your terminal to export the chain data to S3:

geth export <filename> <S3 bucket name>

Replace <filename> with the name of the file you want to export the chain data to and <S3 bucket name> with the name of your S3 bucket. This process may take several hours to complete, depending on the size of the Ethereum blockchain.

Step 2: Download the Exported Ethereum Chain Data from AWS S3

To download the exported Ethereum chain data from AWS S3, follow these steps:

Install the AWS CLI

If you have not already installed the AWS CLI, follow the steps in Step 1 to install it.

Download the Ethereum Chain Data

To download the Ethereum chain data, you will need to have the AWS CLI installed on your machine. You can download the chain data by running the following command in your terminal:

aws s3 cp s3://<S3 bucket name>/<filename> <destination folder>

Replace <S3 bucket name> with the name of your S3 bucket, <filename> with the name of the file you exported the chain data to, and <destination folder> with the path to the folder where you want to download the chain data.

Step 3: Recover the Ethereum Chain Data on a Local Ethereum Node

After downloading the exported Ethereum chain data from AWS S3, the next step is to recover the data on a local Ethereum node. This step is crucial for accelerating the setup process and saving a significant amount of time.

The process of recovering the Ethereum chain data on a local Ethereum node involves two main steps: importing the Ethereum chain data into a local Ethereum node, and starting the Ethereum node.

Import the Ethereum Chain Data into a Local Ethereum Node

To import the Ethereum chain data into a local Ethereum node, we need to run the following command:

geth import [FILE_NAME]

Replace [FILE_NAME] with the name of the file containing the exported Ethereum chain data. This command will import the Ethereum chain data into the local Ethereum node, allowing it to validate and process transactions.

Start the Ethereum Node

Once the Ethereum chain data has been imported into the local Ethereum node, the next step is to start the node. This can be done by running the following command:

geth --fast

This command will start the Ethereum node in fast mode, which allows it to catch up to the current Ethereum blockchain state much faster than a normal sync.

Conclusion

Exporting the full Ethereum chain data to AWS S3, downloading it, and recovering the data on a local Ethereum node is a straightforward process that can significantly speed up the setup process for a new Ethereum node. By following these steps, you can start contributing to the Ethereum network and gain a deeper understanding of its underlying technology. However, it is important to note that the process of downloading and recovering the Ethereum chain data requires a considerable amount of disk space, so make sure to have enough space before starting the process.