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Blockchain snapshots

This section is for node operators who are bootstrapping or recovering NEAR infrastructure. It is not an application-data surface. If the job is reading balances, history, blocks, or contract state, use the API and RPC docs instead of snapshot workflows.

Free snapshots are deprecated

The free nearcore data snapshots have been deprecated.

The NEAR Infrastructure Committee and Near One recommend Epoch Sync plus decentralized state sync. Use NEAR Nodes for the current operator guidance and recommended bootstrap posture.

Use this section when​

  • you need to bootstrap a mainnet or testnet node from snapshot data
  • you are recovering an RPC or archival node
  • you already know you want the FastNear snapshot download path

Do not use this section when​

  • you are trying to query chain data for an application
  • you need recent blocks, balances, history, or contract state
  • you are looking for general product API guidance rather than operator setup

In those cases, use RPC Reference, FastNear API, Transactions API, or NEAR Data API.

Before you download​

  • Choose the network first: mainnet or testnet.
  • Decide whether you need regular RPC data or archival data.
  • Make sure you understand where hot and cold data must live before starting an archival download.
  • Install rclone, because the download scripts depend on it.
Getting rclone

Install rclone with:

sudo -v ; curl https://rclone.org/install.sh | sudo bash

What each path covers​

  • Mainnet includes optimized fast-rpc, standard RPC, and archival hot/cold download paths.
  • Testnet includes RPC and archival snapshot paths for testnet operators.

See nearcore for node requirements, and fastnear/static for the snapshot download script source used by these guides.

Need a workflow?​

Use Snapshot Examples for worked operator examples like choosing between optimized fast-rpc, standard RPC recovery, and archival hot/cold snapshot paths.

Choose a network​