ethereum/go-ethereum

Syncing archive node from era files

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#35,354 opened on Jul 14, 2026

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 (3 comments) (0 reactions) (0 assignees)Go (21,913 forks)batch import
help wantedtype:feature

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Description

In order to sync an archive node, users currently have to use geth import-history to get all the blocks in to the database/freezer. Then the node will process them.

It should just work to drop era files into the datadir and have the node process them from there (without import).

Contributor guide

Research direction
Examine the current era file handling and import logic, then design a method to automatically load era files from the datadir during node startup without requiring explicit import command.
Tech stack
go
Domain
backenddistributed systemsblockchain
Issue type
Feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
Half day
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
Active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Clear
Prerequisites
GoEthereum protocol knowledge
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
35