- Validation Cloud has announced support for Stellar, which will store a complete history of the network and give developers the ability to query transaction data, account statuses and more.
- This will support other Stellar Development Foundation services that focus on providing historical data, such as Horizon, whose historical data is limited to only one year.
Validation Cloud, a node and staking service provider for Web3, has announced support for Stellar, making it easier and more convenient for developers to query the network for historical data.
Validation Cloud announced the integration Thursday, and SDF president Danelle Dixon noted that it would “make it easier for developers to build.”
📢Validation Cloud now supports @StellarOrg Horizon archive nodes!
Our archive nodes maintain a complete history of the #Stellar network, allowing developers to query historical ledger data, transaction details, and account statuses.
📔More information: https://t.co/a3IJ0eJSYP pic.twitter.com/E8D1b5Oydm
— Validation Cloud (@ValidationCloud) August 1, 2024
Validation Cloud offers Archive Nodes, which serve as the most comprehensive repositories of the history of all supported blockchains since the first block, known as the Genesis Block. As explained in a blog post, Archive Nodes store “all transactions, smart contract interactions, and state changes” since the creation block.
Archive nodes differ from the pared-down full nodes used by the entire industry, which only keep recent data because it is easier and faster to sync, which in turn ensures the network is fast and efficient. But what if a developer needs data from five years ago? This is where archive nodes come in.
According to Validation Cloud, Archive Nodes are used in three main cases, with auditing being the most common. Tax and regulatory compliance requires more data than a pruned node can handle, as this can take more than seven years and, for some networks like Stellar, even ten years.
Developers also need archive nodes when developing their dApps. Historical contract states and interactions are critical to building robust dApps. Finally, blockchain explorers need a complete history of a network to serve their purposes.
Stellar now gains access to this ecosystem. The network already offers Horizon, a solution that aims to serve as a kind of archive hub and offers a relaxing API. However, as SDF explains here, it only supports one year of historical data “to optimize performance and ensure a streamlined experience for all users.”
The blog post noted:
Validation Cloud’s Archive Nodes for Stellar maintains a complete history of the network, allowing developers to query historical ledger data, transaction details, and account statuses. This is crucial for applications that require in-depth historical analysis of Stellar network activities.
Stellar will join Ethereum and Hedera as the supported networks. Developers can now just tap this>