Indexing
This page explains indexing services.
Since only the commitments and nullifiers of created and consumed resources are stored on a distributed ledger (see Resources and Resources) and not the resource object itself, a node wanting to know about current global blockchain state must
(1) be online all the time,
(2) observe all transactions that occur, and
(3) store all created and consumed resource objects on their hard drive.
For a normal user, this is not feasible. Moreover, the above assumes that all transactions are transparent and not shielded or private, in which case a node would not be able to see them.
Indexing is the process of tracking created and consumed resources and storing the information in a database. This database can then be filtered with custom predicates by service users. Users wanting to know, for example, their current balance, after being offline for a couple of days can query an indexing service for resources they might have received.
Indexing service providers can commit to archiving:
All visible state
App-specific state (e.g., based on the resource kind)
User-specific state (e.g., based on ownership or other resource properties)
Commercial indexing services are expected to charge fees. However, since becoming an indexer is permissionless and a simple service commitment within the Anoma protocol, normal peer-to-peer nodes can become indexers, too. Moreover, nodes in the network can also commit to caching resources relevant for their peers free of charge for a certain period of time, thus contributing to a decentralized and mutual service economy.
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