> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://polarischain-1.gitbook.io/polarischain/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://polarischain-1.gitbook.io/polarischain/7.-storage-and-persistence-architecture/7.4-recovery-lifecycle-and-snapshot-management.md).

# 7.4 - Recovery Lifecycle & Snapshot Management

Validator recovery follows a deterministic, multi-path workflow optimized for uptime and data integrity:

1. **Fast Path (Standard Recovery):** Load the latest RocksDB snapshot, rebuild block indices from stored keys, and perform partial WAL replay from the snapshot's checkpoint position.
2. **Full Replay (Cold Start/Corruption Recovery):** If no valid snapshot exists, replay the complete WAL from genesis. Slower but cryptographically guaranteed to reconstruct accurate state.
3. **Instant Hot State Access:** LMDB requires zero warm-up; `mmap`-backed databases are immediately queryable on startup without full-scan initialization.

**Snapshot Pruning & Safeguards:**

* Snapshots are retained per configurable count thresholds, with older checkpoints archived or deleted automatically.
* Prune-before-create ordering prevents filesystem hard-link limit exhaustion (specifically addressing NTFS constraints on Windows-hosted validators).


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