Compaction-less database for storing blockchain state

A system comprising:

• one or more processors;
• and
• a memory comprising instructions stored thereon, which when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to:
• receive a proposal for a revision including a root hash reflecting one or more node changes in a database structure;
• identify nodes in a most recent revision of the database structure stored on disk corresponding to locations of the node changes;
• persist disk addresses for the identified nodes in the most recent revision to a future-delete list on disk;
• flush to disk a root node based on the root hash and new nodes representing the node changes to disk;
• update, on disk, a root address based on the root node;
• overwrite disk addresses of expired nodes identified in a free space list with disk addresses of the new nodes, wherein free space from previously reaped revisions are reused to store new nodes before allocating new space on disk or deleting nodes from the future-delete list;
• and
• commit the proposal as a new revision of the database structure.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program, which when executed by a computer, configures the computer to perform:

• receiving a proposal for a revision including a root hash reflecting one or more node changes in a database structure;
• identifying nodes in a most recent revision of the database structure stored on disk corresponding to locations of the node changes;
• persisting disk addresses for the identified nodes in the most recent revision to a future-delete list on disk;
• flushing to disk a root node based on the root hash and new nodes representing the node changes;
• updating, on disk, a root address based on the root node;
• overwriting disk addresses of expired nodes identified in a free space list with disk addresses of the new nodes, wherein free space from previously reaped revisions are reused to store new nodes before allocating new space on disk or deleting nodes from the future-delete list;
• and
• committing the proposal as a new revision of the database structure.