> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://blocx.gitbook.io/blocx./llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://blocx.gitbook.io/blocx./validator-node/node-maintenance.md).

# Node Maintenance

### Stopping the Node

1. To temporarily stop your validator node, select option 7 "Stop validator node" from the menu.
2. This will stop all containers but preserve your data.
3. You can start the node again using option 6.

### Shutting Down the Node

1. Select option 8 "Shutdown validator node" from the menu to shut down your node.
2. This effectively does the same as stopping but is used when you want to emphasize a full shutdown.

### Cleaning Up Node Data

1. Select option 9 "Cleanup validator node" from the menu to completely remove all node data.<br>

   > ⚠️ **WARNING**: This will delete all blockchain data and you will need to sync from scratch again! This operation cannot be undone.<br>
2. Your validator keys will be preserved, but all sync progress and blockchain data will be deleted.
3. After cleaning, you will need to reinitialize the node before starting it again.

## How to Restart and Resync Your BLOCX Node from Zero

Follow these steps to completely restart your node and resync it from scratch:

### **Step 0: Stop the Node**<br>

Before making any changes, make sure your node is stopped.

### **Step 1: Edit the Docker Compose File**<br>

**Open this file in a text editor:**

📄 [compose-validator.yaml (Line 50)](https://github.com/BLOCXTECH/BLOCX-Validator-Setup/blob/189aeef20ee46b73730ad37bcfbaa5a096804c44/compose-validator.yaml#L50)<br>

**Find the line starting with command:** and add the following line directly after line 50:

\--purge-db-force

This line forces the node to delete all existing blockchain data and restart syncing from zero.

### **Step 2: Restart the Node**

#### **Run the following command to restart your node:**

./initExecution.sh

This will start your node and begin resyncing from the very beginning.

### **Step 3: Remove the Purge Command**

⚠️ **Important:** After the node has started syncing successfully, remove the --purge-db-force line from the compose-validator.yaml file.

If you leave it in, your node will always reset and resync from scratch every time it restarts, which you don’t want.

####