# About Data and History

> How to find blockchain data and history

Canonical URL: https://docs.minaprotocol.com/node-operators/data-and-history/

Mina is a succinct blockchain, and as a result, consensus nodes store only the recent history of the chain before discarding it (the last k blocks, currently 290). You can access recent history by using graphQL from a running mina daemon.

While prior transaction history is not required to prove the current state is valid (this is handled by using a recursive zero-knowledge proof), many applications need to access prior transaction history. Examples include block explorers and wallets.

You can optionally run an [archive node](/node-operators/archive-node/getting-started) to access historic data. The archive node process stores a summary of each block in a Postgres database. The archive node requires a running mina-archive daemon that connects to a running mina daemon and a [PostgreSQL](https://www.postgresql.org/) database.

## In This Section

- [Rosetta API](/node-operators/data-and-history/rosetta) - A standardized API for blockchain integration, exchange support, and historical data queries.

For querying data from a running node via GraphQL, see [Querying Data](/node-operators/validator-node/querying-data).