What is Erigon?

Introduction

Erigon is a fast and efficient Ethereum client that was developed as a fork of Go Ethereum. It is designed to provide significant speed and disk space savings, making it an attractive option for developers who require reliable and efficient access to the Ethereum network. Erigon is entirely re-architected and written in Go, with plans to be ported to other languages in the future.

Batch syncing process

Here are some of the features that make Erigon a good option for setting up a node application:

• "Batch" syncing: Erigon’s syncing process is unique in that it uses a method called staging. Instead of downloading and verifying each block as they are retrieved from other peers, Erigon first downloads the whole chain and separately processes the verification function offline locally. This method allows Erigon to speed up the syncing process, but can create a temporary head lag up to 5-10 blocks. More details in our article — Erigon Block Processing
• Efficient state storage: Erigon uses a key-value database that enables efficient state storage, making it possible to handle large amounts of data quickly and easily.
• Fast initial sync: Erigon pre-processes data in temporary files before inserting it into the central database, which reduces write amplification and makes database inserts much faster. This allows for fast initial sync times, which is especially useful for developers who need to get up and running quickly.
• Separate JSON-RPC daemon: Erigon has a separate JSON-RPC daemon that can connect to both local and remote databases. For read-only calls, this RPC daemon does not need to be running on the same system as the main Erigon binary, and it can even run from a database snapshot. This makes it easy to set up remote access to the Ethereum network without having to run the full client on a remote server.

Conclusion

Overall, Erigon is a powerful and efficient Ethereum client that is well-suited for developers who require reliable, fast, and efficient access to the Ethereum network. Its modular design, efficient state storage, and fast initial sync times make it a great option for building your web3 application on Chainstack.