---
title: Join the network using Snapshots
sidebarTitle: Snapshot Sync
description: >-
  Learn how to quickly join the Paxeer network using snapshot sync, including
  download, restore, and troubleshooting steps for validators and nodes.
keywords:
  - paxeer node
  - blockchain node
  - node configuration
  - node maintenance
  - system operations
---

> **For AI agents:** the complete documentation index is at [llms.txt](/llms.txt). Append `.md` to any page URL for its markdown version.

<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 the Paxeer 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. Check the Paxeer community channels for current snapshot availability.

## 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
   sudo systemctl stop paxd
   ```

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

   ```bash
   cp $HOME/.paxeer/data/priv_validator_state.json $HOME/priv_validator_state.json
   cp $HOME/.paxeer/config/priv_validator_key.json $HOME/priv_validator_key.json
   ```

3. **Reset the State**

   ```bash
   paxd tendermint unsafe-reset-all --home $HOME/.paxeer
   ```

4. **Remove Data**
   ```bash
   rm -rf $HOME/.paxeer/data
   ```

## Download & Restore

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

### Prerequisites

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

```bash
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
   SNAPSHOT_URL="<PASTE_SNAPSHOT_URL_HERE>"
   ```

2. **Download and Extract**
   The following command streams the download and extracts it into `$HOME/.paxeer`.

   ```bash
   curl -L $SNAPSHOT_URL | lz4 -c -d | tar -x -C $HOME/.paxeer
   ```

   **Alternative: Parallel Download with aria2**

   ```bash
   # 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/.paxeer

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

3. **Restore Validator State**

   ```bash
   cp $HOME/priv_validator_state.json $HOME/.paxeer/data/priv_validator_state.json
   ```

4. **Enable State Commit**
   Make sure to enable state-commit in your config if it's not already enabled:

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

5. **Restart the Node**

   ```bash
   sudo systemctl start paxd
   ```

6. **Monitor Logs**
   ```bash
   sudo journalctl -fu paxd
   ```

## Troubleshooting

**Q: I can't download a snapshot.**
A: Try another time later as these snapshots are refreshed regularly.

**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.

**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`).