rebuilddb2

README

Command line app rebuilddb2

The rebuilddb2 app is used for maintenance of dcrdata's dcrpg database (a.k.a. DB v2) that uses PostgreSQL to store a nearly complete record of the Decred blockchain data.

IMPORTANT: When performing a bulk data import (e.g. full chain scan from genesis block), be sure to configure PostgreSQL appropriately. Please see postgresql-tuning.conf for tips.

Installation

Be able to build dcrdata (see ../../README.md). In short:

• Install dep, the dependency management tool

  go get -u -v github.com/golang/dep/cmd/dep
  

• Clone the dcrdata repository

  git clone https://github.com/dcrdata/dcrdata $GOPATH/src/github.com/dcrdata/dcrdata
  

• Populate vendor folder with dep ensure

  cd $GOPATH/src/github.com/dcrdata/dcrdata
  dep ensure
  

• Build rebuilddb2

  # build rebuilddb2 executable in workspace:
  cd $GOPATH/src/github.com/dcrdata/dcrdata/cmd/rebuilddb2
  go build
  # or to install dcrdata and other tools into $GOPATH/bin:
  go install ./cmd/rebuilddb2
  

Usage

First edit rebuilddb2.conf, using sample-rebuilddb2.conf to start. You will need to follow a typical PostgreSQL setup process, creating a new database/scheme and a new role that has permissions/owns that database.

A fresh rebuild of the database is accomplished via:

./rebuilddb2 -D  # drop any existing tables
./rebuilddb2 -u  # rebuild tables, and update (-u) address table from scratch

Running without -u is only appropriate when the tables are behind the network's current best block by at most a few thousand blocks. Otherwise, run with -u to recreate the address table in a more efficient batch process.

Remember to update your PostgreSQL config (postgresql.conf) before and after bulk data imports. Namely, before normal dcrdata operation, ensure that fsync=true and other setting are adjusted for efficient queries.

Use the --help flag for more information.

Details

Rebuilding the dcrdata tables from scratch involves the following steps:

• Connect to the PostgreSQL database using the settings in rebuilddb2.conf
• Create tables: "blocks", "transactions", "vins", "vouts", and "addresses".
• Starting from genesis block, process each block and store in tables.
• If -u is not specified, a relatively expensive process is used to keep the spending transaction information up-to-date in the "addresses" table.
• If -u is specified, updating this part of the "addresses" table is deferred until after all other tables are populated and indexes for faster queries.

License

See LICENSE at the base of the dcrdata repository.