Ethereum (ETH) API - Building Your Web3 Dapps

What is an Ethereum (ETH) API?

Ethereum API authorizes cryptocurrency users, developers, and applications to perform calls to ETH nodes and talk to the network.

In essence, Ethereum node clients support RPC API connections to authorize users to read blockchain data and send updates to the network. This connection is typically configured via endpoints offered by Web3 infrastructure services.

In this context, API is the main tool for developers and dApps to set up a connection with the blockchain as opposed to hosting a node for the same purpose. An RPC endpoint is the network location where a program sends API requests to access the server’s data.

For example, after connecting a dApp to an Ethereum endpoint via API, application users can easily perform operations that make use of blockchain data in real time.

To facilitate these interactions, Ethereum nodes may operate with different communication protocols such as HTTP or WebSockets.

To picture how it works, imagine a user trading ETH for USDC on a decentralized exchange (DEX). The DEX platform verifies the user's Ethereum token balance by communicating with an RPC node via API. If successful, the DEX once again utilizes Ethereum API to forward the transaction request to the blockchain network for validation and execution.

Why use an Ethereum (ETH) API?

Aside from giving every user access to reading blockchain data, the primary role of ETH API is to enable seamless data exchange between decentralized software and the blockchain.

This connection serves various purposes: retrieving on-chain data, sending new transactions, or interacting with smart contracts.

Many developers prefer not to operate a full blockchain node since it requires substantial resources and technical knowledge to ensure proper maintenance.

As an alternative, node service providers like GetBlock offer ready-made Ethereum API to integrate into dApps and enjoy a flawless connection with the network and more advantages:

• Accessibility: Utilizing API does not require hosting and maintaining ETH nodes in-house, making it accessible to a wide range of users;
• Flexibility: Providers often support an extensive list of protocols, particularly valuable for developers building applications that interact with various blockchains;
• Cost-effectiveness: Clients can optimize the budget by choosing pricing plans that suit a specific use case;
• Enhanced user experience: Node providers have the infrastructure and expertise to deliver a consistently reliable service, minimizing the impact of potential issues.

In other words, while applications’ credibility and user experience are dependent on consistent and reliable access to the blockchain, Ethereum API providers optimize this access.

Key Features of Ethereum API

GetBlock APIs provide access to all the functionalities essential for interacting with the Ethereum blockchain. Let’s explore some of them, each serving distinct purposes in Ethereum application development.

Developers can access all the listed functionalities through GetBlock’s APIs without needing to directly manage the complex infrastructure that powers it.

How to Get Started with Ethereum (ETH) API

GetBlock has streamlined the process for developers to access API endpoints and interact with the Ethereum blockchain seamlessly.

This concise guide provides step-by-step instructions and useful tips to help users navigate the platform and successfully execute their first interaction with Ethereum.

1. Creating the account

Begin by registering on the GetBlock website either using your email address or by connecting a MetaMask wallet.
As a new user, you'll instantly gain access to 40,000 free daily requests which can be a game-changer for beginner developers to explore the functionality of Ethereum APIs.

2. Obtaining endpoint URLs

From the dashboard, select the Ethereum protocol, choose between the mainnet or available testnets, and select a desired API interface. Clicking the "Get" button will prompt GetBlock to generate a link.

Users can create multiple endpoints as needed, all of which will be added to the "My Endpoints" list for convenient access and management.

3. Managing access tokens

All endpoint URLs regardless of the network selected follow a similar structure, where "" is the unique private identifier assigned to each endpoint:

This authentication method provides a higher level of security, keeping routing details hidden within the generic "go.getblock.io" domain.

Users can easily roll or deactivate unused or compromised endpoints. Additionally, detailed statistics are available for every separate endpoint.

​​API integration guide

Once generated, the endpoint URL can be further used for deploying smart contracts to Ethereum, connecting apps to the blockchain, or simply querying data.

To provide an example, let’s retrieve the ETH balance for the random address using the Ethers.js library. To do so, we initialize a JSON-RPC provider connected to the Ethereum network via the GetBlock API endpoint:

const { ethers } = require("ethers");
const provider = new;
ethers.JsonRpcProvider("https://go.getblock.io/");

Now we can write a function using the "getBalance" method to fetch the necessary data:

(async () => {
    const balance = await provider.getBalance('0x95222290DD7278Aa3Ddd389Cc1E1d165CC4BAfe5');
    console.log('Current Balance in ETH:',ethers.formatEther(balance));
})();

Response:

This is one way for retrieving an account balance using the ‘getBalance’ method.

Available Ethereum API Methods

To see what other actions or operations developers can perform through the API, let’s take a quick look at some essential methods:

• eth_getTransactionReceipt: returns transaction information for the given hash trans with logs;
• eth_sendRawTransaction: broadcasts a signed raw transaction to the Ethereum network;
• eth_estimateGas: estimates the gas cost of ETH transactions or contract invocations before submitting to the network;
• eth_call: executes a contract function call in a read-only manner without creating an on-chain transaction;
• eth_subscribe/eth_unsubscribe: allows tracking certain events on the blockchain.

Users can discover more WebSocket and JSON-RPC methods offered by GetBlock API in our comprehensive documentation.

Pricing and Plans for Ethereum (ETH) API

GetBlock offers a variety of tariffs and plans, fitting for both startups experimenting with new ideas or enterprises with heavy transaction loads.

Shared nodes provide users with access to peer-shared infrastructure. This option is suitable for applications that can tolerate some latency, which makes it a perfect use case for test launches.

While the 40,000 free daily requests are available for this option, paid tariffs start at $29.

Additionally, clients can choose to purchase a set amount of requests or pay monthly for unlimited access.

Flexible pricing

Payment options are flexible, too, including credit card, bank transfer, and cryptocurrency.

Dedicated ETH API

For high-traffic and mission-critical applications, dedicated servers are available.

Dedicated node APIs make a big difference by providing unlimited requests, the highest possible speeds, access to archival data, and a variety of API interfaces to choose from.

DEDICATED NODE

Private server with custom settings

Requests

Unlimited

Rate Limit

Unlimited

Data

Archive

Starting at

$

600

/ month

Start building

Users opt for this plan when launching highly scalable apps that require flawless node connection maintained by a team of professionals.

Enterprise ETH solutions

Enterprise solutions are on the next level of GetBlock’s services catering to the unique requirements and challenges faced by large companies and massive Web3 projects, providing them with tailored services to meet their specific demands and ensure optimal performance and support.

These solutions include advanced features such as analytics, and redundant backup systems for optimized performance, along with the flexibility to deploy any protocol node upon request.