Astra Block FAQ

Which blockchains are supported?

Astra Block supports the following blockchains:

Ethereum Mainnet

What data is being stored?

Complete blockchain datasets include all data from a particular blockchain. At the block level, this includes data events during the block’s creation, specific transactions within the block, NFT minting, and more.

For a full description of the data stored in each dataset, see About the Astra Block data model.

Does a dataset really include the entire blockchain?

Yes! Complete datasets contain every block that has ever been mined on a particular blockchain.

How do I create a Block-enabled database?

See Astra Block quickstart for instructions on how to create a Block-enabled database.

When creating a Block-enabled database, you can select from the following dataset types:

Complete dataset: Clones the entire blockchain dataset (15+ million blocks for the complete Ethereum dataset). A complete dataset includes data from all blocks in the blockchain’s entire history, stored in accordance with the Astra Block data model.
Partial dataset: Clones a portion of the complete dataset (1,000 blocks).
Schema only: Creates the schema for the Astra Block data model, but doesn’t clone any blockchain data.

After creating a Block-enabled database, it will take some time for the blockchain data to be cloned into it. The initial cloning of blockchain data is a one-time operation, and the amount of time it takes will depend on the size of the dataset you selected.

Does the dataset update in real time?

After creating a Block-enabled database, you have the option to stream new blocks into the database in real time. Configuring this option means that the second a new block is mined, your Block-enabled database will immediately update with the new block data.

How can I build an application with a blockchain dataset?

You can get started by connecting your application to Astra DB using drivers and Stargate APIs.

How can I query data stored in a Block-enabled database?

Once your Block-enabled database has been successfully created, you can start querying it using the CQL Console.

To help get you started, example queries have been provided in About the Astra Block data model.

Can I use Astra Block to write data to the blockchain?

Astra Block only reads data from the blockchain; it does not conduct any transactions on the blockchain network. This allows you to do things like command and query responsibility segregation (CQRS) whereby your application reads validated transactions from the much faster operational database in Astra while continuing to use the blockchain for things like consensus validations and transaction processing.

To learn more about how Astra Block can be incorporated into your application, see Astra Block overview.