# Ask about Geth: Snapshot acceleration

DevFeed: [Ask about Geth: Snapshot acceleration](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/ask-about-geth-snapshot-acceleration-16911.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://blog.ethereum.org/en/2020/07/17/ask-about-geth-snapshot-acceleration>)

Author: Péter Szilágyi

Published: 2020-07-17T00:00:00Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Ethereum Foundation Blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/ethereum-foundation-blog.md>)

Topics: [Ethereum](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ethereum.md>), [Data structures](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/data-structures.md>), [Algorithms, Complexity](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/algorithms-complexity.md>)

Tags: [algorithm](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/algorithm.md>), [complexity](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/complexity.md>), [data-structure](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/data-structure.md>), [ethereum](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ethereum.md>), [hashing](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/hashing.md>), [research-development](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/research-development.md>), [series](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/series.md>)

## AI overview

This first article in a question-and-answer series explains how Ethereum represents and verifies state. It contrasts flat and legacy database structures, then describes Merkle trees, Patricia trees, and the combined Merkle Patricia tree used for state, including the logarithmic complexity of updates and verification.

## Source excerpt

\This is part #1 of a series where anyone can ask questions about Geth and I'll attempt to answer the highest voted one each week with a mini writeup. This week's highest voted question was: Could you share how the flat db structure is different from the legacy structure?\...