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Using rsync in the normal way copies the entire blockchain to backup every time new blocks are added. To get around this, I used the --append flag, however even though the size of the backup is the same as the newly updated blockchain, if I run monerod connected to the backup, it does not show the backed up blockchain as synced. So, is there a way to back up my blockchain incrementally in a way that the backed up blockchain will be usable and correctly synced?

This post does not give a correct answer as that simply copies over the whole blockchain every time that rsync command is run, which does not help at all.

i9pp0
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There are two included tools that can help here: monero-blockchain-export and monero-blockchain-import.

If you backup (i.e. export) to a bootstrap file (a .raw file, the default), it keeps track of its current height and thus subsequent exports will simply append to the output file.

Upon restoration (i.e. import), if your database already exists, the default is to resume importing from the current height.

jtgrassie
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  • Thank you for your answer. So, what I should do is continue to backup how I am doing, and when I need to use the backed up chain, I need to use the monero-blockchain-import tool in order for sync to pick up at the last block added? – i9pp0 Mar 16 '21 at 06:45
  • Yes. That said, backing up the blockchain is a moot point - it's already "backed up" on every other Monero users node. – jtgrassie Mar 16 '21 at 13:23
  • Ok great. The reason I back it up is because if I lose my copy, it's a very long process to re-download again. It's a time saver backup. – i9pp0 Mar 17 '21 at 16:16