# Enabling archive mode
GetBlock provides direct access to blockchain historical states through both the Dedicated Nodes service and archive-enabled Shared RPC endpoints.
This page covers **Archive Mode** – a setting that turns on archive-node access within GetBlock’s **Shared Nodes subscription**.
Common RPC use cases enabled by Archive Mode:
* Read contract/account state at any past block, not just `latest` , using methods like [`eth_getBalance`](/api-reference/ethereum-eth/eth_getbalance-ethereum.md)`(address, blockNumber)`, [`eth_getStorageAt`](/api-reference/ethereum-eth/eth_getstorageat-ethereum.md)`(contract, slot, blockNumber)`, [`eth_getCode`](/api-reference/ethereum-eth/eth_getcode-ethereum.md)`(address, blockNumber)`, etc.
* Call view functions against historical state: e.g. [`eth_call`](/api-reference/ethereum-eth/eth_call-ethereum.md)`(..., blockNumber)`.
* Run historical queries and debugging that rely on old state: forensics, audits, explorers, indexing, and retroactive analytics.
* Support tracing and higher-fidelity debugging that may require historical state.
This feature removes the need to run a dedicated archive infrastructure for some use cases, letting developers perform on-demand historical queries via GetBlock RPC API.
***
### Archive mode availability & coverage
Archive functionality is included with **all Shared Node subscriptions**, excluding the Free plan. No additional fee required.
Archive support is provided for a set of popular protocol **mainnets**, including Ethereum, BSC, Polygon, Base, Arbitrum, TRON, Sui, Cardano, etc.
Look for the small history icon ( ) when picking a protocol during the [endpoint setup](/getting-started/endpoint-setup/creating-node-endpoints.md). It indicates that Archive mode is available for that blockchain.
{% hint style="success" %}
If you need an archive data for a chain not covered by shared Archive mode, request a [Dedicated Node](/getting-started/endpoint-setup/configuring-dedicated-nodes.md). **Dedicated Nodes** can be deployed in archive mode for **any supported blockchain** and come with additional benefits like:
1. Full blockchain history at the highest throughput
2. Unlimited query capacity
3. Custom node builds & tooling
{% endhint %}
***
### How to enable the Archive mode
1. Sign in to your GetBlock **dashboard** and make sure you’re on the **Shared Node** tab.
2. Click **Get endpoint** and choose a required blockchain protocol.
3. Find the Mode toggle and switch the **Archive** **mode** on.
3. Finish configuring endpoint details by choosing the API interface and server location as usual.
After clicking **Get**, the new Archive endpoint appears in your Endpoints list. The endpoint URLs will follow the existing GetBlock format but point to archive nodes.
***
### CU billing for Shared Archive endpoints
Archive endpoints usage remains subject to your plan’s [CU limits and performance characteristics](https://docs.getblock.io/getting-started/plans-and-limits/cu-and-rate-limits).
However, serving requests from archive infrastructure involves heavier storage and compute power compared to regular full nodes.
Therefore, enabling the Archive mode affects how CU usage is calculated:
* GetBlock applies a **2× Compute Unit (CU) multiplier** to all requests made through the Archive endpoint.
* The multiplier is applied to **all requests made to an archive endpoint**, even if the invoked RPC call does not require a historical state.
You can review the per-chain CU values for each method on our [Compute Units](https://getblock.io/pricing/compute-units/) page.
> Example:
>
> If `eth_getBalance` costs 20 CU on a standard shared endpoint for a given chain, the same call to an Archive-enabled shared endpoint will cost 40 CU.
Plan accordingly and consider using standard **Full mode** endpoints for non-archive traffic to avoid unnecessary CU consumption.
***
### Best practices
* Use archive endpoints only for workloads that require a historical state. For transactions or current state queries, use a standard Full mode to save CU.
* Monitor CU consumption on the dashboard and set alerts for spikes or when usage nears your plan limit.
* If you run sustained, high-volume archive queries, consider using a Dedicated Node.
***
#### 💬 Need help with archive blockchain data?
[Tell us](https://getblock.io/contact/) what you’re building — our team can guide you to the most efficient archive node setup.
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