go-ethereum/docs/_install-and-build/Backup--restore.md

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Backup & Restore C

Most important info first: REMEMBER YOUR PASSWORD and BACKUP YOUR KEYSTORE.

Data Directory

Everything geth persists gets written inside its data directory. The default data directory locations are platform specific:

  • Mac: ~/Library/Ethereum
  • Linux: ~/.ethereum
  • Windows: %APPDATA%\Ethereum

Accounts are stored in the keystore subdirectory. The contents of this directories should be transportable between nodes, platforms, implementations (C++, Go, Python).

To configure the location of the data directory, the --datadir parameter can be specified. See CLI Options for more details.

Note the ethash dag is stored at ~/.ethash (Mac/Linux) or %APPDATA%\Ethash (Windows) so that it can be reused by all clients. You can store this in a different location by using a symbolic link.

Cleanup

Geth's blockchain and state databases can be removed with:

geth removedb

This is useful for deleting an old chain and sync'ing to a new one. It only affects data directories that can be re-created on synchronisation and does not touch the keystore.

Blockchain Import/Export

Export the blockchain in binary format with:

geth export <filename>

Or if you want to back up portions of the chain over time, a first and last block can be specified. For example, to back up the first epoch:

geth export <filename> 0 29999

Note that when backing up a partial chain, the file will be appended rather than truncated.

Import binary-format blockchain exports with:

geth import <filename>

See https://github.com/ethereum/wiki/wiki/Blockchain-import-export for more info

And finally: REMEMBER YOUR PASSWORD and BACKUP YOUR KEYSTORE