Skip to main content

dbsync

A fast, modular indexer for the Cardano blockchain. dbsync follows a running cardano-node over its Unix socket and projects on-chain data into a PostgreSQL schema you control table by table via profiles.

This section is for operators and users who want to run dbsync to populate a Postgres database. If you're working on dbsync itself — extractors, the phase machinery, the schema layer — head to the Developers section.

What it does​

For every block the node hands it, dbsync:

  1. Parses the block once into an era-independent representation.
  2. Runs the enabled projections (UTxO, multi-asset, governance, …) over it.
  3. Writes the resulting rows into your PostgreSQL database.

Each projection is independent — you decide which ones run when you create the database, and that decision is fixed for the lifetime of that database. Disabling a projection skips both the work and the tables it would own.

What's in this section​

  • Installation — prerequisites, then platform-specific instructions for Linux and macOS, then the build.
  • Cardano node setup — running the cardano-node dbsync follows.
  • Configuration — the config file, the six presets that ship, and how to write your own.
  • Running dbsync — CLI flags, environment, first-run expectations.
  • Operations — metrics, troubleshooting, recovery and restart semantics.
  • FAQ and Glossary.

Status​

Pre-release

Upgrading dbsync migrates a behind database in place at boot, so a schema change no longer forces a re-sync. Changing a profile — enabling or disabling an extractor — is different and still requires a fresh sync, as can a change to ledger-derived data. Treat the profile as a decision made once per database.