Heimdall and Bor Snapshots

Heimdall Snapshot​

Before starting the Heimdall services to sync, it is essential to set up the node with the necessary prerequisites as per the node setup guide. Once you have completed this step, follow the instructions below to use the snapshot:

1. To download the snapshot tar file of Heimdall on your VM, execute the following command. Note: Paste the latest link you will find on the Snapshot link into the URL code.

aria2c -x6 -s6  <snapshot_url>
// For example, this will download the snapshot of Heimdall:
aria2c -x6 -s6 https://URL/heimdall-snapshot-2022-11-08.tar.gz

2. To unpack the tar file in the Heimdall data directory, run the following command.

// You must ensure you are running this command before you start the Heimdall service on your node.
// If your Heimdall service has started, please stop the service and run the following command:
// Once unpacking is complete, you can start the Heimdall service again:
tar -xzvf <snapshot file> -C <HEIMDALL_DATA_DIRECTORY>
// If your Heimdall data directory is different,
// please replace the directory name in the command for starting the Heimdall service.
// When this command completes, you may delete the tar file to reclaim space.
// For example, this will unpack the tar file in the Heimdall Data directory:
tar -xzvf heimdall-snapshot-2021-11-08.tar.gz -C ~/.heimdalld/data/

Bor Snapshot​

To use the Bor snapshot to sync your node, follow the steps below after setting up your node with the prerequisites mentioned in the node setup guide:

1. To download the Bor snapshot tar file on your VM, execute the following command. Note: Paste the latest link you will find on the Snapshot link into the URL code.

aria2c -x6 -s6  <snapshot_url>
// For example, this will download the snapshot of Heimdall:
aria2c -x6 -s6 https://URL/bor-fullnode-snapshot-2022-11-08.tar.gz

This command will initiate the download process of the Bor snapshot tar file from the provided link. Once the download is complete, the file will be saved in the current directory. You can then proceed with the steps required to use the snapshot and sync Bor, as per the instructions provided.

2. To unpack the Bor snapshot tar file in the Bor data directory, run the following command.

// You must ensure you are running this command before you start the Bor service on your node.
// If your Bor service has started, please stop the service and run the following command:
// Once unpacking is complete, you can start the Bor service again.
tar -xzvf <snapshot file> -C <BOR_DATA_DIRECTORY>
// If your bor data directory is different
// please replace the directory name in the command for starting the Bor service.
// When this command completes, you may delete the tar file to reclaim space.
// For example, this will unpack the tar file in the Bor data directory:
tar -xzvf bor-fullnode-snapshot-2022-11-08.tar.gz -C ~/.bor/data/bor/chaindata

This command will extract the contents of the Bor snapshot tar file and place them in the specified Bor data directory. Once the extraction is complete, you can proceed with starting the Bor services to begin syncing the node with the blockchain data from the snapshot.

NOTE: The aria2c method is an efficient way to download snapshots quickly, but there is also an alternate method that allows the downloaded snapshots to be extracted directly without any intervention.

This method involves using the "wget" command to download the snapshot file, followed by using the "tar" command to extract the contents of the snapshot directly into the data directory. The command to do this is:

For Heimdall:

wget -c https://URL/heimdall-snapshot-2022-11-30.tar.gz -O - | tar -xzf - -C ~/.heimdalld/data/

For Bor:

wget -c https://URL/bor-fullnode -O - | tar -xzf - -C ~/.bor/data/bor/chaindata