Solana RPC Node Lagging: Developer Interest Growing
As a member of the Solana community, you’re probably no stranger to the challenges of networking. With over 10 million unique addresses currently active on the platform, managing a successful project requires dedication, expertise, and a deep understanding of the underlying technology.
Recently, however, many developers have reported issues connecting to local Remote Procedure Call (RPC) nodes. This issue isn’t new, but it’s become more visible in recent weeks. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the causes of this issue and provide possible solutions.
The Issue
When a developer tries to connect to a local RPC node in Solana, they’ll likely see an error message saying “RPC node lagging.” This statement may seem counterintuitive, since you might assume the node is working properly. However, it’s important to understand what this message means and why developers are having trouble connecting.
Technically, when a developer connects to a local RPC node using the Solana API, they are essentially making a call to fetch the latest block data from the network. This process involves several steps, including:
- Connecting to the Solana network using the
solana-rpclibrary.
- Creating an RPC client instance that can handle network events and updates.
- Fetch the latest block data using the
getLatestBlockNumber()method.
The problem arises when developers try to get the latest block number, which requires some processing power. The Solana network is designed to be energy efficient, but this means that older RPC nodes may not have enough resources to handle high-traffic connections or frequent updates.
Why are we 1900 slots behind?
So why are developers experiencing connectivity issues and slower network performance? The answer lies in image updates. Each time a developer updates a local node to a new snapshot (a snapshot is a collection of nodes that are updated at regular intervals), the RPC client must reconnect to all the other nodes.
This process involves sending “snapshot messages,” which are essentially updates to the state of the network. These updates can take some time to propagate across the network, and when they do, they can cause temporary delays for developers who rely on real-time updates.
1900 slots for Conundrum
Once a developer downloads the latest snapshot update, their RPC node will be updated with the new snapshot data. However, this process takes some time, which can result in the node lagging significantly behind the network’s performance—in this case, by 1900 slots.
Essentially, the developer’s local node is “frozen” or delayed while waiting for the latest snapshot updates to propagate across the network. This latency can be significant, especially if developers rely on real-time event and transaction updates provided by Solana.
Call to Action
This situation has raised concerns among developers who are struggling to meet the rapidly increasing demand for Solana services. To address this issue, we recommend taking a few steps:
- Upgrade to the latest snapshot version: Make sure you are using the latest available snapshot update.
- Optimize RPC connection settings: Experiment with different connection options and optimize RPC client settings to reduce latency.
- Use an updated Solana library: Consider using newer versions of the
solana-rpclibrary, which may provide better performance and reliability.
- Monitor network congestion
: Keep a close eye on network congestion levels and adjust network usage accordingly.
