Erigon 3 - New version of BSC Erigon Client: reduced sync time from weeks to 10 hours

Written By NodeReal

Introduction

Erigon 3 is a state-of-the-art Ethereum client now adapted for the BNB Chain (BSC) with full integration of the Parlia consensus protocol. This adaptation is crucial for BSC, which prioritizes speed and cost-efficiency to support its extensive decentralized application ecosystem.

What is Parlia

Parlia is the consensus mechanism used by the BNB Chain (BSC). It combines elements of Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS) and Proof of Authority (PoA), allowing for faster block times and lower transaction costs. In Parlia, validators are elected by BNB holders, blending the decentralization benefits of DPoS with the efficiency of PoA. This combination is critical for BSC's high throughput and scalability, making it a popular choice for decentralized applications.

The integration of Parlia into Erigon 3 is a significant milestone, enabling this client to fully support BSC’s unique operational requirements. With this, Erigon 3 is poised to deliver improved performance, particularly for users running Archive nodes, as it combines Parlia’s hybrid consensus mechanism with Erigon’s already optimized architecture.

BSC Testnet - Sync time reduced from one week to 10 hours

Our performance metrics on BSC Testnet (Chapel) indicate a significant improvement in disk footprint. As illustrated below, overall disk usage has been reduced by 50%.

Regarding sync speed, we successfully synced Erigon 3 on Chapel in approximately 10 hours, compared to about one week with the previous version.

Current state

We have successfully ported the Parlia consensus protocol, used by BSC (BNB Chain), to the Erigon 3 in its latest Alpha 2 version. This ensures full compatibility with BSC, enabling users to benefit from Erigon's optimized performance and reduced resource footprint.

The testnet snapshot is ready and you can try Erigon Aplha 2 on our testnet. As the software is still in its alpha phase, we encourage users to test and provide feedback to help identify any remaining bugs. With Erigon 3, there’s no need to manually download snapshots. Simply run the client, and the latest snapshot will be downloaded automatically.

Mainnet Plan 

The mainnet is currently syncing, as the new snapshots are not compatible with Erigon 2. We plan to release the mainnet version around September 30, 2024, but we will continue to support Erigon 2 for a while to ensure a smooth transition.

Have a try

Using git and building

Downloading Pre-Built Binary

Alternatively, you can download a pre-built binary for your system from here

Using Docker image

Notes:

• Replace "<your_data_path>" with the actual path where you want to store your data.
• Ensure the correct binary file is downloaded based on your operating system.