> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://base-a060aa97-eb-mini-app-ia-overhaul.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Node Snapshots

Using a snapshot significantly reduces the initial time required to sync a Base node. Snapshots are updated regularly.

<Warning>
  Geth Archive Nodes are no longer supported via snapshots due to performance limitations. For Archive functionality, please use Reth.
</Warning>

If you're a prospective or current Base node operator, you can restore from a snapshot to speed up your initial sync. Follow the steps below carefully.

## Restoring from Snapshot

These steps assume you are in the cloned `node` directory (the one containing `docker-compose.yml`).

1. **Prepare Data Directory**:
   * **Before running Docker for the first time**, create the data directory on your host machine that will be mapped into the Docker container. This directory must match the `volumes` mapping in the `docker-compose.yml` file for the client you intend to use.
     * For Geth:
       ```bash
       mkdir ./geth-data
       ```
     * For Reth:
       ```bash
       mkdir ./reth-data
       ```
   * If you have previously run the node and have an existing data directory, **stop the node** (`docker compose down`), remove the *contents* of the existing directory (e.g. `rm -rf ./geth-data/*`), and proceed.

2. **Download Snapshot**: Choose the appropriate snapshot for your network and client from the table below. Use `wget` (or similar) to download it into the `node` directory.

   | Network | Client | Snapshot Type | Download Command (`wget …`)                                                                                           |
   | ------- | ------ | ------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
   | Testnet | Geth   | Full          | `wget https://sepolia-full-snapshots.base.org/$(curl https://sepolia-full-snapshots.base.org/latest)`                 |
   | Testnet | Reth   | Archive       | `wget https://sepolia-reth-archive-snapshots.base.org/$(curl https://sepolia-reth-archive-snapshots.base.org/latest)` |
   | Mainnet | Geth   | Full          | `wget https://mainnet-full-snapshots.base.org/$(curl https://mainnet-full-snapshots.base.org/latest)`                 |
   | Mainnet | Reth   | Archive       | `wget https://mainnet-reth-archive-snapshots.base.org/$(curl https://mainnet-reth-archive-snapshots.base.org/latest)` |

   <Note>
     Ensure you have enough free disk space to download the snapshot archive (`.tar.gz` file) *and* extract its contents. The extracted data will be significantly larger than the archive.
   </Note>

3. **Extract Snapshot**: Untar the downloaded snapshot archive. Replace `<snapshot-filename.tar.gz>` with the actual downloaded filename:

   ```bash
   tar -xzvf <snapshot-filename.tar.gz>
   ```

4. **Move Data**: The extraction process will likely create a directory (e.g., `geth` or `reth`).

   * Move the *contents* of that directory into the data directory you created in Step 1.

     * Example (if archive extracted to a geth folder):

       ```bash
       # For Geth
       mv ./geth/* ./geth-data/
       rm -rf ./geth    # Clean up empty extracted folder
       ```

     * Example (if archive extracted to a reth folder - **verify actual folder name**):

       ```bash
       # For Reth
       mv ./reth/* ./reth-data/
       rm -rf ./reth    # Clean up empty extracted folder
       ```

   * The goal is to have the chain data directories (e.g., `chaindata`, `nodes`, `segments`, etc.) directly inside `./geth-data` or `./reth-data`, not nested within another subfolder.

5. **Start the Node**: Now that the snapshot data is in place, start the node using the appropriate command (see the [Running a Base Node](/base-chain/node-operators/run-a-base-node#setting-up-and-running-the-node) guide):

   ```bash
   # Example for Mainnet Geth
   docker compose up --build -d
   ```

6. **Verify and Clean Up**: Monitor the node logs (`docker compose logs -f <service_name>`) or use the [sync monitoring](/base-chain/node-operators/run-a-base-node#monitoring-sync-progress) command to ensure the node starts syncing from the snapshot's block height. Once confirmed, you can safely delete the downloaded snapshot archive (`.tar.gz` file) to free up disk space.