Cardano DB Sync 13.8.0.0 Adds Node 11.2 Support and ARM Linux Builds

Cardano DB Sync 13.8.0.0 has been released for Cardano networks, using node 11.2.0 and introducing changes to configuration, logging and database maintenance.

DB Sync follows the Cardano blockchain and stores information from the chain and ledger in a PostgreSQL database. Explorers, analytics platforms and other applications can query that database to access network data.

Cardano DB Sync Changes Logging and Adds ARM Support

The new release reads the nested configuration format introduced with node 11.2.0 and moves logging to the node’s trace-dispatcher system.

That change requires operators to update their logging configuration. Settings previously used by iohk-monitoring, including minSeverity and setupScribes, are no longer read. The release notes direct operators to replace those settings with a TraceOptions block using the mainnet configuration as an example.

Version 13.8.0.0 also introduces static binaries and Docker images for 64-bit ARM Linux systems. Static binaries remain available for 64-bit x86 Linux.

A new --ledger-only option replays the blockchain through the ledger and writes ledger snapshots without opening the database. Operators can use it to prepare an up-to-date ledger snapshot before an upgrade.

Database Migrations and Data Fixes

Operators upgrading from DB Sync 13.7.2.1 will run three fast database migrations when the new version starts, according to the release notes.

The migrations add guard to the list of script purpose types, remove duplicate epoch state records and introduce a uniqueness constraint on the epoch number. They also repair collateral parameters in two database tables that had been affected by a signed 16-bit encoding issue.

No full resynchronization is required when upgrading from any 13.7.x version. Older installations will run additional migrations: upgrades from 13.7.1.x include the epoch redesign migrations introduced in 13.7.2.1, while upgrades from 13.7.0.x also run an earlier epoch repair.

The release notes indicate that the redesign migrations can take several minutes on mainnet. The earlier repair can add five to 15 minutes on a mainnet-sized database.

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DijkstraNet Testing and DB Sync Upgrade Notes

The release arrives as Cardano infrastructure teams prepare their tools for Dijkstra. On November 2, the DijkstraNet test network moved to protocol version 12 without activating Linear Leios, giving developers and operators an environment for integration testing.

DB Sync 13.8.0.0 uses node 11.2.0, but the release notes also identify operational details for teams maintaining existing services. The epoch view calculates the current epoch dynamically, and queries against it may be around 500 milliseconds slower on mainnet. Applications that do not need the current epoch can query epoch_finalized directly.

The release notes list one known issue: IPv4 and IPv6 addresses for stake pool relays can be stored with literal double quotes. They also list links to mainnet snapshots for versions 13.7 and 13.6, while the entry for a 13.8 snapshot remains marked as pending.