Dshackle Archive is a free, open source command-line tool for copying blockchain history into files you control. It is built for developers, data engineers and node operators who need structured archives of Bitcoin or Ethereum-compatible chains, not a wallet or a trading app. The latest release is v0.9.0, and the project focuses on batch archiving of historical data.
The program does not query a blockchain over plain HTTP or JSON RPC. It connects through a Dshackle instance that you run yourself, then writes blocks out as Avro or JSON. Windows support is likely but not guaranteed, so check the project's Releases page for a ready-made build before planning your setup. Docker is also a listed platform, which makes a container a practical route on a Windows machine.
What Dshackle Archive Does With Blockchain History
A blockchain node keeps the latest state of a network and only a limited window of practical access to older data, depending on how it is configured. Researchers and developers who need the full record of transactions often end up rebuilding that history from scratch, which takes time and computing power.
Dshackle Archive takes a different approach. It reads blocks through a Dshackle instance and writes them into an archive on disk or into a message stream. The result is a set of files that can be opened by other tools, copied to storage, or loaded into a database without running the node logic again.
That separation matters in practice. A team can run one connection to a blockchain source, archive the history once, and then let analysts, auditors or internal dashboards work from files. The original node stays focused on serving live requests.
Who Needs a Blockchain Data Archive
Data engineers are the most natural audience. If you are building a pipeline that turns Bitcoin or Ethereum-compatible transactions into reports, a stable archive in Avro or JSON gives you a fixed input you can test against again and again.
Node operators and infrastructure teams use archives for a different reason: recovery and retention. Keeping a verified copy of historical blocks means you can rebuild downstream systems after a failure without reconnecting to a live source for every query.
Researchers studying fee patterns, block timing or contract activity also benefit from batch exports. They can work on a dataset that does not change under them, which keeps results reproducible when they share their methods with colleagues.
How Batch Archiving Differs From Live Indexing
Live indexing tools keep a database updated as each block arrives, usually to answer application queries quickly. Batch archiving has a different goal. It produces files covering known ranges of blocks, which are easier to store, move and check.
Dshackle Archive combines both modes in a limited way. The archive operation handles a historical range in bulk, while stream appends new blocks as they appear. Compaction then turns many small files into larger ones, so the archive does not become unwieldy over time.
The practical difference is in what you get back. A batch archive is a set of artifacts you can version, checksum and hand to another team. A live index is a service that must stay online to be useful. Many organizations need both, and this tool covers the archive side.
Key features
Bitcoin and Ethereum-compatible extraction
Avro or JSON output
Archive command for bulk copying
Stream mode for fresh blocks
Compaction into range files
Fix and verify tools
Notifications to files, Pulsar or Kafka
Supported coins
The documentation mentions Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Polygon, BNB Chain and Beam. Because Dshackle needs only compatibility at the JSON RPC level, the same approach may reach other chains with similar APIs, but confirm support for any network you need before relying on it in production.
How to install Dshackle Archive on Windows
- 1
Get the program from an official source
Download only from the official website or from the GitHub Releases page of the emeraldpay/dshackle-archive project. Look for the v0.9.0 build and read the release notes for Windows-specific files. Avoid mirrors and file-sharing sites that repackage the program.
- 2
Verify the download
Compare the SHA-256 checksum of the file you downloaded with the value published on the release page. If the project provides a signature, check it as well. A mismatch means the file should be discarded and downloaded again from the official source.
- 3
Prepare a Dshackle instance
Dshackle Archive cannot run on its own. Start a Dshackle instance that can reach the blockchain sources you plan to archive, and note its address so the archiver can connect to it. Test the connection before starting a long batch job.
-
Run the program or a container
If a Windows build is listed, extract it to a folder you control and run it from a terminal. If you prefer containers, use Docker, since the project lists it as a platform. Either way, keep the archive output on a drive with enough free space for the block range you expect to process.
System requirements
- A running Dshackle instance reachable from the computer or container that runs Dshackle Archive
- Docker, if you choose the container route rather than a standalone Windows build
- Enough free disk space for the archive output, which grows with the block range you process
How to use Dshackle Archive
Dshackle Archive works from the command line, so the workflow is a sequence of operations on an archive folder. Start with a small block range to confirm that your connection and output format behave as expected before running a large job.
- Start your Dshackle instance and confirm it can reach the blockchain you want to archive.
- Choose an output format, either Avro or JSON, and decide whether you want one file per range or one file per block.
- Run the archive operation for a chosen block range to copy historical data into your archive folder.
- Run stream when you want new blocks appended one by one as the chain advances.
- Run compact to merge individual block files into larger range files once the archive has grown.
- Run verify to check that files contain the required data and to remove any incomplete ones.
- Run fix to rebuild archives for missing chunks that verify reports.
- Optionally configure notifications, such as writing JSON lines to a directory with notify.dir, or sending messages with the Pulsar or Kafka options.
Keep a log of each run, including the block range and output format. This makes it easier to reproduce a dataset later and to explain differences between two archives built at different times.
Pros & cons
- Free and open source, so you can inspect the code and the release process
- Two practical output formats, Avro and JSON, for different downstream tools
- Built-in commands for verifying and repairing archives
- Notifications can go to a local directory, Apache Pulsar or Apache Kafka
- Covers Bitcoin and Ethereum-compatible networks, with several more named in the documentation
- Requires a separate Dshackle instance, which adds setup work
- Windows support is listed as likely rather than confirmed for a ready-made build
- Built for batch archiving and history, not for wallets, trading or real-time apps
- Support for chains beyond those named in the documentation needs your own testing
Is Dshackle Archive safe?
Dshackle Archive is a data export tool, not a wallet, so it does not need your seed phrase or private keys. Still, download only from the official website or the project's GitHub Releases page, and never enter a seed phrase on a third-party website. Verify the SHA-256 checksum or the signature of the file before running it, since a modified copy could alter the archives it produces. Check the project's Releases page for the latest version, which is currently v0.9.0 at the time of writing. Run the tool on a machine you trust, and keep your Dshackle instance and archive storage behind appropriate access controls.
- Official source only. Download from github.com/emeraldpay/dshackle-archive. Ignore ads and lookalike domains.
- Check the SHA-256. Compare the installer hash with the value the developer publishes before running it.
- Never share your seed phrase. No developer, support agent or website — including CryptApps — will ever ask for it.
Alternatives
Dshackle Archive is best compared with tools that also help you read blockchain history. TrueBlocks Core focuses on giving fast access to blockchain data for EVM-compatible chains, especially Ethereum mainnet, so it answers questions about addresses and transactions directly. Dshackle Archive instead copies history into Avro or JSON files, which suits teams that want a portable dataset and a pipeline outside the node.
MEV Boost is a different kind of tool. It is Ethereum block-building middleware, used in the block production process, and has no archiving role. If your goal is storing and sharing historical blocks, Dshackle Archive is the closer fit, while block-building software serves an entirely different part of the network stack.
Specifications
- Price
- Free
- Type
- Open source
- License
- —
- Latest version
- v0.9.0
- Last update
- 8 Oct 2026
- Windows support
- Likely (builds for Windows; check releases)
- Source code
- github.com/emeraldpay/dshackle-archive
Frequently asked questions
Dshackle Archive copies blockchain history into files such as Avro or JSON, so you can analyze, back up or share it without running live queries against a node. It is aimed at developers, data engineers and node operators who need structured archives of Bitcoin or Ethereum-compatible chains.
Yes. Dshackle Archive is listed as a free, open source program. You can download it from the official GitHub Releases page and review its source code in the same repository, which is a useful way to understand how it works before you deploy it.
Windows support is likely but not guaranteed. Check the GitHub Releases page for a ready-made Windows build for the version you want. If none is available, Docker is a listed platform and can run the tool in a container on a Windows machine.
Yes. Dshackle Archive connects to blockchains through the Dshackle protocol rather than plain HTTP or JSON RPC, so a Dshackle instance must be running and reachable before you start an archive job. Set it up and test the connection first.
The documentation mentions Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Polygon, BNB Chain and Beam. Because Dshackle needs only compatibility at the JSON RPC level, similar chains may also work, but test any network you plan to rely on before starting a large archive.
Archive is the main operation and copies a chosen range of blocks from a blockchain into your archive. Stream appends fresh blocks one by one as they arrive, which keeps an existing archive current without repeating a full batch run.
Yes. You can send notifications as JSON messages to a specified Apache Kafka topic using the notify.kafka options. You can also write them to a local directory as JSON lines or send them to an Apache Pulsar topic, depending on your pipeline.
Verdict
Dshackle Archive suits developers, data engineers and node operators who need a free, open source way to turn Bitcoin and Ethereum-compatible history into Avro or JSON files. Its verify, fix and compact commands make it more than a simple export script, and notifications help connect archives to downstream systems. It is less suitable for people who want a wallet, a trading tool or a live app, and it requires a running Dshackle instance. If you are comfortable with command-line setup, it is worth evaluating, with the Windows build confirmed on the Releases page first.