In brief
Storage and indexes expose state to tools, but indexer observation is not itself consensus authority.
What this page explains#
Storage and indexes expose state to tools, but indexer observation is not itself consensus authority. This page sits in Core Protocol Source Path. It gives the topic a plain-language handle first, then shows the working idea, the mechanism, the source trail, and any limits that still matter. This category is a code-reading path. It treats source files as evidence with boundaries: a constant proves one kind of thing, a pipeline proves another, and a test proves only the scenario it covers.
The writing follows a simple Kaspa documentation pattern: answer the practical question first, then link outward for details. The closest public sources for this page are RK-DATABASE, RK-SMT, RK-INDEXES, RK-VIRTUAL-PIPELINE. Local notes can help choose what to explain, but public-facing references resolve to upstream websites, repositories, papers, release pages, or docs.
How to think about it#
The practical model starts by naming the layer that owns the topic: wallet use, node operation, consensus, transaction validation, Toccata script behavior, tooling, or research. From there, the page shows which public source can support the explanation and where the explanation becomes incomplete.
For Storage, Indexes, And State Surfaces, the model is built around these anchors: database layers persist consensus and index data; SMT/storage paths support source-level state questions; UTXO index changes what queries can be served; indexers recover evidence by replaying accepted state; application pages must keep indexer responsibility visible. This model is useful, but it does not encode every constant, branch, error type, or edge case. Those details belong in the source path and the source notes.
How it works#
1. database layers persist consensus and index data. Core protocol source pages explain which subsystem owns the behavior. The reader should come away knowing whether the evidence belongs in params, constants, proof of work, header processing, body processing, virtual processing, DAA, pruning, reachability, storage, or tests.
2. SMT/storage paths support source-level state questions. Source-review pages are practical maps. They start from one claim, identify the owning subsystem, inspect data structures and serialization, follow validation or execution, check tests and release context, and then write down what remains unresolved. The page is useful only if it says both what a source proves and what it does not prove.
3. UTXO index changes what queries can be served. Index and query-surface claims are about what data a node, RPC service, or indexer can expose, not a shortcut around consensus. The guide should say which index must exist, which interface reads it, how restart or replay affects it, and which source path proves the field or evidence is preserved.
4. indexers recover evidence by replaying accepted state. Developer integration pages explain an interface by naming the source object behind it. API, RPC, wRPC, SDK, wallet, and indexer surfaces are useful only when they preserve the fields and evidence that the protocol layer actually defines. Accepted-state evidence, replay behavior, schema choices, and endpoint disagreement must be checked separately.
5. application pages must keep indexer responsibility visible. Developer integration pages explain an interface by naming the source object behind it. API, RPC, wRPC, SDK, wallet, and indexer surfaces are useful only when they preserve the fields and evidence that the protocol layer actually defines. Accepted-state evidence, replay behavior, schema choices, and endpoint disagreement must be checked separately.
This mechanism section is a source checking guide. Each paragraph names the subsystem that owns the claim and keeps constants, params, pipelines, tests, releases, and KIPs in their own evidence lanes.
How to check it#
| Step | Check | Evidence gate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Check database layers persist consensus and index data. | Read RK-DATABASE, RK-SMT, RK-INDEXES; identify the exact Rusty Kaspa module, test, KIP, or release that owns this behavior. |
| 2 | Check SMT/storage paths support source-level state questions. | Read RK-DATABASE, RK-SMT, RK-INDEXES; identify the exact Rusty Kaspa module, test, KIP, or release that owns this behavior. |
| 3 | Check UTXO index changes what queries can be served. | Read RK-DATABASE, RK-SMT, RK-INDEXES; identify the exact Rusty Kaspa module, test, KIP, or release that owns this behavior. |
| 4 | Check indexers recover evidence by replaying accepted state. | Read RK-DATABASE, RK-SMT, RK-INDEXES; identify the exact Rusty Kaspa module, test, KIP, or release that owns this behavior. |
| 5 | Check application pages must keep indexer responsibility visible. | Read RK-DATABASE, RK-SMT, RK-INDEXES; identify the exact Rusty Kaspa module, test, KIP, or release that owns this behavior. |
When using this page for source review, start with the claim class, then read the owner module, tests, KIP or release context, and any dependent interface. Record what the source proves and what it does not prove before strengthening wiki wording.
Related Pages#
- p2p-and-ibd
- core-protocol-source-path
- activation-kips-and-release-evidence