Chad Feierstein

Linux - Cardano DB Sync Installation

Complete guide for installing Cardano DB Sync on Debian 12 with PostgreSQL database and NIX package manager, including service configuration

Debian 12Cardano DB SyncPostgreSQLNIXBlockchainDatabase

Important Notes

Please note these important points before setup

Cardano Node

A running Cardano Node is required for DB Sync

Disk Space

At least 700GB free disk space (Cardano Node: 203GB, DB Sync: 10GB, PostgreSQL: 438GB)

RAM Requirement

At least 48GB RAM (Cardano Node: 24GB, DB Sync: 21GB, System: 3GB)

Synchronization Time

Initial synchronization can take several days

Root Access

Root access or sudo permission required

Setup Steps

Install PostgreSQL and additional extensions
sudo apt install postgresql postgresql-contrib
Enable PostgreSQL service for automatic startup
sudo systemctl enable postgresql
Start PostgreSQL service
sudo systemctl start postgresql
Connect to PostgreSQL console as postgres user
sudo -u postgres psql
Create Cardano database user with password
CREATE USER cardano WITH PASSWORD 'PASSWORD';
Note: Use a strong, secure password
Create Cardano Explorer database
CREATE DATABASE cexplorer OWNER cardano;
Grant all privileges for the database
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE cexplorer TO cardano;
Exit PostgreSQL console
\q
Switch to cardano user account
sudo -i -u cardano
Clone Cardano DB Sync repository
git clone https://github.com/IntersectMBO/cardano-db-sync.git
List files in cardano directory
ls -al
Change to cardano-db-sync directory
cd cardano-db-sync/
List available version tags
git tag | sort -V
Switch to specific version tag
git switch -d tags/13.6.0.5
Install Cardano DB Sync with NIX
nix profile install .
Note: This installation may take some time
Verify installation by checking version
cardano-db-sync --version
List installed NIX profiles
nix profile list
.pgpass
localhost:5432:cexplorer:cardano:PASSWORD
Set file permissions for security
chmod 600 ~/cardano-config/.pgpass
Exit cardano user account
exit
Create system-wide symbolic link
sudo ln -sf /home/cardano/.nix-profile/bin/cardano-db-sync /usr/local/bin/cardano-db-sync
Test symbolic link by checking version
cardano-db-sync --version
cardano-db-sync.service
[Unit]
Description=Cardano DB Sync
After=network.target cardano-node.service
Requires=cardano-node.service

[Service]
User=cardano
Group=cardano
WorkingDirectory=/home/cardano/cardano-config
Environment="PGPASSFILE=/home/cardano/cardano-config/.pgpass"
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/cardano-db-sync \
  --config /home/cardano/cardano-config/db-sync-config.json \
  --socket-path /home/cardano/cardano-db/node.socket \
  --state-dir /home/cardano/cardano-db-sync-state \
  --schema-dir /home/cardano/cardano-db-sync/schema

Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=10
LimitNOFILE=32768

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
Reload systemd for new service
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
Enable service for automatic startup
sudo systemctl enable cardano-db-sync
Start Cardano DB Sync service
sudo systemctl start cardano-db-sync
Check service status
sudo systemctl status cardano-db-sync
Follow service logs in real-time
journalctl -u cardano-db-sync -f

Additional Tips

Useful commands and tips for better management

Additional Resources

Official documentation and helpful links

Cardano DB Sync Repository

Official GitHub repository with source code and documentation

PostgreSQL Documentation

Official PostgreSQL documentation for database administration

Cardano Developer Portal

Official Cardano developer portal with DB Sync documentation

Cardano DB Sync Installation Complete!

Your Cardano DB Sync is now running and synchronizing blockchain data to the PostgreSQL database. Monitor logs and synchronization progress regularly.