Archive node
Last updated:
Applies to: All chains
In more detail
A full node verifies the whole chain but prunes old state. On EVM chains this means calls such as eth_getBalance, eth_call, eth_getStorageAt or eth_getProof at an old block need an archive node; Geth, for example, defaults to --gcmode full, with archive as the alternative mode.
Other chains draw the line differently: a Solana RPC node exposes its own retention floor through getFirstAvailableBlock, and TON liteservers each keep their own window. Separate from state, some clients also limit how far back their transaction and log indexes reach.