Is there any possible way to change the blockchain size?

Question

Is there any way to choose between Archive, Basic, Fast, Light? And whats the benefit of each size of blockchain. Sorry if I said something wrong, I am new. Thank you

Answer 1

You may be mixing terms here.

A blockchain, theoretically speaking, is the history of every transaction that has happened in a given cryptocurrency. There's not a way to choose its size, other than saying what transactions did or did not happen.

What you are probably thinking of is a client. A given program that uses a cryptocurrency has multiple ways of doing so.

A full node is a client that stores the entire blockchain. A full node never needs to ask another node what part of the blockchain is--it already has it all. When a new block is mined, each full node independantly verifies it. However, the disk space usage and other computer resources for a full node continue to increase as the blockchain and network grow.

A light client is a client that stores only part of the blockchain, most likely the headers of the blocks. It doesn't know everything, but it can ask full nodes for what it needs. A system known as SPV allows a light client to trust what a full node tells it--however, in a 51% attack, the light client could be fooled into believing an impossible transaction (i.e. someone spending more than they hand.) Nonetheless, a light client is much easier on a computer, and can easily live on a cellphone.

An archive node is a theoretical term for a client that would store data that even a full node has stopped storing.

There's overlap. For example, a light client could become a full node by downloading more of the blockchain, or be a full node on some parts and light everywhere else.

Here's an analogy: There's one history of the world. However, different books can hold different amounts. A full node is an expensive unabridged encyclopedia. A light client is a history textbook and a library card.