Should stale profiles be removed from the Content Servers? (DRAFT)

by 0xb8782cf628357ce2751a4ea3007934048fbaa672

Linked Pre-Proposal

Should stale profiles be removed from the Content Servers?

Summary

This proposal addresses the accumulation of dormant profile entities in the content servers, outlining the necessity for their removal to optimize server resources and the synchronization time for new nodes.

Abstract

Establish and implement a content server policy for the removal of stale profile entities, aiming to enhance server resource utilization and synchronization efficiency, particularly for new nodes. The focus is on profiles that have remained inactive for over a year.

Motivation

The motivation stems from the accumulation of dormant profile entities on content servers that don't hold any value, impacting resource optimization and synchronization efficiency. The proposal seeks to address this by establishing a default behavior to permanently remove profiles inactive for more than a year. This approach aims to enhance synchronization processes, minimizing the download of unnecessary stale data during node synchronization.

Specification

A new process will be implemented on the content servers to routinely assess all existing profiles and determine whether they should be retained. Currently, some nodes host over 2 million profiles, each consisting solely of information related to avatar configuration and outfit details.

In the event of a profile entity being lost or deleted, returning users will only need to reconfigure their avatar and outfit. No tangible content or ownership data would be compromised, given that ownership information is blockchain-based. Additionally, all owned assets remain accessible, as the 3D models for each asset will persist on the content servers.

A profile entity is composed of a definition file, two snapshot PNG images (body.png and face.png), and an entry in the local database on the server. Through this cleanup process, these resources can be released, streamlining the system's efficiency.

You can validate the content of a profile entity by executing the following HTTP request and ensuring that it does not retain any historically valuable data. The profile entity works solely as an avatar configuration, capable of being reconstructed at any given time.

curl --location 'https://peer.decentraland.org/lambdas/profiles' \ --header 'Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8' \ --header 'Accept: application/json' \ --data '{ "ids": [ "0xAddress" ] }'

Conclusion

The proposed policy for the permanent removal of stale profile entities, those inactive for over a year, presents a solution to optimize server resources and improve synchronization efficiency for new Catalyst nodes. By implementing this policy, the content servers can be more efficient and minimizing the download of unnecessary, dormant data during synchronization.

This proposal is summarized due to technical limitations. To view it complete and vote on it, visit the DCL DAO Governance dApp