feature request: support import-blocks and export-blocks capabilities via RPC

[onejoelman]

Polkadot binary offers a feature of exporting blocks in binary and json formats, as well as importing them afterwards. Please port this feature to the official RPC (preferably both JSON-RPC and WS) api, enabling remote block submitting (like bitcoin has)

Right now, I'm using a patch, running a bash command via ssh to do the following:

• shutdown polkadot instance
• call polkadot cli export blocks to temp file (polkadot export-blocks --from ${from} --to ${to} --binary /temp/file)
• stream the file
• delete the file
• re-launch polkadot instance

This seems to me a bit of a hack, and I'd be very happy if you could look into this feature.

Many thanks! Joel

[bkchr]

For what you need this feature?

[onejoelman]

maintaining an offline network

[bkchr]

What is an offline network?

[onejoelman]

a bunch of computers that aren't connected to the internet, but connected within themselves (intra-net)

[bkchr]

Sounds to me like a very niche use case.

[onejoelman]

still, it's already partially implemented