Solana RPC Node Delays: Growing Developer Concern
As a member of the Solana community, you are likely no stranger to the challenges of working with the network. With over 10 million unique addresses currently active on the platform, running a successful project requires commitment, expertise, and a deep understanding of the underlying technology.
However, recently, many developers have been reporting issues connecting to their local Remote Procedure Call (RPC) nodes. This issue is not new, but its visibility has increased significantly in recent weeks. In this article, we will dive deeper into the causes of this issue and explore possible solutions.
Problem
When a developer attempts to connect to their local RPC node on Solana, they will likely see the error message “RPC node is delayed.” This statement seems counterintuitive, as it would be assumed that the node is functioning properly. However, it is essential to understand what this message means and why developers are experiencing connection issues.
From a technical perspective, when a developer connects to their local RPC node via the Solana API, they are essentially making a call to retrieve the latest block data from the network. This process involves several steps, including:
- Connect to the Solana network using the
solana-rpclibrary.
- Create an RPC client instance that can handle network events and updates.
- Get 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 1900 slots behind?
So why are developers experiencing connectivity issues and lagging network performance? The answer lies in image refresh. Every time a developer updates their local node to a new snapshot (a snapshot is a set of nodes that have been updated at regular intervals), the RPC client must reestablish a connection to all the other nodes.
This process involves sending “snapshot” messages, which are essentially network status updates. It can take some time for these updates to propagate across the network, and when they do, they can cause temporary delays for developers who rely on real-time updates.
The 1900 slots behind Conundrum
When a developer downloads the latest snapshot update, their RPC node is updated with the new snapshot data. However, this process takes some time to complete, which can lead to a situation where the node falls significantly behind the network performance, in this case by 1900 slots.
In essence, the developer’s local node is “frozen” or delayed while the latest snapshot updates propagate across the network. This delay can be significant, especially if a developer relies on Solana’s real-time event and transaction updates.
Call to Action
This has raised concerns among developers who are struggling to keep up with the rapidly growing demand for Solana services. To address this issue, we recommend following a few steps:
- Update to the latest snapshot
: 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 the updated Solana library: Consider using newer versions of the
solana-rpclibrary, which may provide better performance and reliability.
- Monitor network congestion: Keep an eye on network congestion levels and adjust usage accordingly.