ipld-eth-server/documentation/sync.md

Syncing commands

These commands are used to sync raw Ethereum data into Postgres.

lightSync

Syncs VulcanizeDB with the configured Ethereum node, populating only block headers. This command is useful when you want a minimal baseline from which to track targeted data on the blockchain (e.g. individual smart contract storage values or event logs).

1. Start Ethereum node
2. In a separate terminal start VulcanizeDB:
   • ./vulcanizedb lightSync --config <config.toml> --starting-block-number <block-number>

sync

Syncs VulcanizeDB with the configured Ethereum node, populating blocks, transactions, receipts, and logs. This command is useful when you want to maintain a broad cache of what's happening on the blockchain.

1. Start Ethereum node (if fast syncing your Ethereum node, wait for initial sync to finish)
2. In a separate terminal start VulcanizeDB:
   • ./vulcanizedb sync --config <config.toml> --starting-block-number <block-number>

coldImport

Sync VulcanizeDB from the LevelDB underlying a Geth node.

1. Assure node is not running, and that it has synced to the desired block height.
2. Start vulcanize_db
   • ./vulcanizedb coldImport --config <config.toml>
3. Optional flags:
   • --starting-block-number <block number>/-s <block number>: block number to start syncing from
   • --ending-block-number <block number>/-e <block number>: block number to sync to
   • --all/-a: sync all missing blocks