> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.sei.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Join the network using Snapshots

> Detailed guide for using snapshots to join the network

<Warning>Before you resync a node using snapshots, make sure that in case of a successful resync that you *under no circumstance* double sign blocks at previous heights with your validator. Failure to do so will cause tombstoning of your validator.</Warning>

Follow this guide to join an existing network through **snapshot sync**. To quickly spin up a fresh full node and join the network, it's recommended to restore from a snapshot instead of replaying all historical blocks.

## Snapshot Sync

Snapshot sync allows a new node to join a network by downloading a recent, compressed copy of the entire application state and extracting it directly into the data directory. This reduces the initial sync time from days to minutes.

## Snapshot Providers

You can select from various providers for downloading snapshots:

* Polkachu: [Mainnet Snapshots](https://www.polkachu.com/tendermint_snapshots/sei) | [Testnet Snapshots](https://www.polkachu.com/testnets/sei/snapshots)
* Imperator.co
* Stakeme
* kjnodes

<iframe src="https://seistream.app/labs?page=snapshots" width="100%" height="600" style={{ border: 'none', borderRadius: '8px' }} title="Sei Snapshot Providers" />

## Clean Up & Preparation

If you are **not** starting a node from fresh, perform the following backups and clean‑ups first.

<Info>Note: This step is not needed for fresh nodes.</Info>

1. **Stop the service**

   ```bash theme={"dark"}
   sudo systemctl stop seid
   ```

2. **Backup Validator State** (Critical for Validators)
   Assuming your sei home directory is `$HOME/.sei`, back up `priv_validator_key.json` and `priv_validator_state.json`:

   ```bash theme={"dark"}
   cp $HOME/.sei/data/priv_validator_state.json $HOME/priv_validator_state.json
   cp $HOME/.sei/config/priv_validator_key.json $HOME/priv_validator_key.json
   ```

3. **Reset the State**

   ```bash theme={"dark"}
   seid tendermint unsafe-reset-all --home $HOME/.sei
   ```

4. **Remove Data and Wasm**
   ```bash theme={"dark"}
   rm -rf $HOME/.sei/data
   rm -rf $HOME/.sei/wasm
   ```

<Warning>All snapshots also include the `wasm` folder. Make sure to copy over the `wasm` folder as well, the node cannot successfully sync without it.</Warning>

## Download & Restore

<Info>The following commands are generic examples. Please verify the `SNAPSHOT_URL` and extraction command from your chosen provider above.</Info>

### Prerequisites

Ensure you have the necessary tools installed (e.g., `lz4`, `aria2`, `pv`, `wget`).

```bash theme={"dark"}
sudo apt update
sudo apt install curl lz4 wget aria2 pv -y
```

### Download and Extract

1. **Set the Snapshot URL**
   Replace `<SNAPSHOT_URL>` with the link from your chosen provider.

   ```bash theme={"dark"}
   SNAPSHOT_URL="<PASTE_SNAPSHOT_URL_HERE>"
   ```

2. **Download and Extract**
   Most providers compress the `data` and `wasm` directory directly. The following command streams the download and extracts it into `$HOME/.sei`.

   ```bash theme={"dark"}
   curl -L $SNAPSHOT_URL | lz4 -c -d | tar -x -C $HOME/.sei
   ```

   **Alternative: Parallel Download with aria2**

   For faster downloads, especially with large snapshots, you can use `aria2c` which supports parallel connections:

   ```bash theme={"dark"}
   # Download with 16 parallel connections
   aria2c -x 16 -s 16 -o snapshot.tar.lz4 $SNAPSHOT_URL

   # Extract after download completes
   lz4 -c -d snapshot.tar.lz4 | tar -x -C $HOME/.sei

   # Clean up the downloaded file
   rm snapshot.tar.lz4
   ```

   You can also use `pv` to monitor extraction progress:

   ```bash theme={"dark"}
   pv snapshot.tar.lz4 | lz4 -c -d | tar -x -C $HOME/.sei
   ```

   <Info>The `-x 16` flag sets the maximum connections per server, and `-s 16` splits the file into 16 segments for parallel downloading. You can adjust these values based on your network conditions.</Info>

   <Warning>**Variation Warning**: Some providers might wrap the data in a folder or use different compression. - If the snapshot is a `.tar.gz`, use `tar -xzf`. - If the snapshot contains a root folder (e.g. `sei/data`), you might need to adjust the `-C` target or use `--strip-components`. - Always check the provider's specific page for exact commands.</Warning>

3. **Restore Validator State**

   ```bash theme={"dark"}
   cp $HOME/priv_validator_state.json $HOME/.sei/data/priv_validator_state.json
   ```

4. **Enable SeiDB**
   Make sure to enable `sei-db` in your config if it's not already enabled:

   ```bash theme={"dark"}
   sed -i.bak -E "/^\[state-commit\]/,/^\[.*\]/ s|^(sc-enable[[:space:]]*=[[:space:]]*).*$|\1true| ; /^\[state-store\]/,/^\[.*\]/ s|^(ss-enable[[:space:]]*=[[:space:]]*).*$|\1true|" $HOME/.sei/config/app.toml
   ```

5. **Restart the Node**

   ```bash theme={"dark"}
   sudo systemctl start seid
   ```

6. **Monitor Logs**
   ```bash theme={"dark"}
   sudo journalctl -fu seid
   ```

## Troubleshooting

**Q: I can't download a snapshot.**
A: Try another time later as these snapshots are refreshed regularly and inform us in the [Sei Tech Chat](https://t.me/+KZdhZ1eE-G01NmZk).

**Q: The snapshot finishes, but I immediately get `AppHash` errors upon regular block syncing.**
A: Make sure that you use the latest version of the node software. This usually means the snapshot version doesn't match your node version, or the snapshot is corrupted. Ensure you are using the correct binary version for the block height of the snapshot.

**Q: "No space left on device"**
A: Snapshots require significant disk space to download and extract. Ensure you have enough free space (check with `df -h`).