Optimism API Overview

Welcome to the Optimism API Quickstart and Reference Guide. This guide provides everything you need to start building on Optimism using dRPC’s JSON-RPC API. Whether you're retrieving account balances, fetching block details, executing transactions, or estimating gas fees, this comprehensive guide will help you integrate Optimism seamlessly into your applications.

This page includes:

A Quickstart Guide to help you set up and make your first Optimism API request.
A detailed list of all Optimism API methods, categorized for easy reference.

Scroll to API Methods

Optimism API Quickstart#

To get started with building on Optimism using dRPC's Optimism RPC API, follow these steps:

1. Create a dRPC Account or Use Public Optimism RPC endpoints

By signing up for a free dRPC account, you can access their Premium Optimism RPC endpoints.

Public endpoints:

HTTPS

https://optimism.drpc.org/

WSS:

wss://optimism.drpc.org

2. Set Up Your Development Environment

RPC can be requested in various ways (opens in a new tab). In this example, we are going to use Node.js. Ensure you have Node.js (opens in a new tab) and npm installed on your system. You can verify their installation by running:

node -v
npm -v

If not installed, download and install them from the official Node.js website (opens in a new tab).

3. Initialize Your Project

Create a new directory for your project and initialize it:

mkdir Optimism-drpc-quickstart
cd Optimism-drpc-quickstart
npm init --yes

4. Install Axios

Axios is a popular HTTP client for making API requests. Install it using npm:

npm install axios

5. Obtain dRPC Endpoint

Log in to your dRPC account and navigate to the Optimism RPC endpoints section. Copy the HTTPS endpoint URL for the Optimism Mainnet.

6. Write Your First Script

Create an index.js file in your project directory and add the following code:

const axios = require('axios');
 
const url = 'https://lb.drpc.org/ogrpc?network=optimism&dkey=YOUR_DRPC_API_KEY';
 
const payload = {
  jsonrpc: '2.0',
  id: 1,
  method: 'eth_blockNumber',
  params: []
};
 
axios.post(url, payload)
  .then(response => {
    console.log('The latest block number is', parseInt(response.data.result, 16));
  })
  .catch(error => {
    console.error('Error fetching block number:', error);
  });

Replace ‘https://lb.drpc.org/ogrpc?network=optimism&dkey=YOUR_DRPC_API_KEY' with the actual endpoint URL you obtained from dRPC.

7. Run Your Script

Execute your script using Node.js:

node index.js

You should see the latest Optimism block number printed in your console.

Additional Information

dRPC offers various features such as high performance nodes, access to multiple chains. For more details, visit their Optimism API documentation (opens in a new tab).

By following these steps, you can start building on Optimism using dRPC's reliable and efficient RPC endpoints.

Optimism API Methods#

These endpoints allow to retrieve information about blocks, transactions, balances, logs, and more, facilitating efficient blockchain development and integration.

Accounts info#

Retrieves data about an account’s on-chain storage, balance, and contract code.

eth_accounts : Retrieves a list of accounts controlled by the client.
eth_getBalance : Fetches the balance of an account.
eth_getCode : Returns the smart contract code stored at an address.
eth_getProof : Provides a Merkle proof for an account's state.
eth_getStorageAt : Retrieves data stored at a specific storage slot of an account.

Blocks info#

Retrieves detailed information about a specific block using its number or hash

eth_blockNumber : Retrieves the most recent block number.
eth_getBlockByHash : Fetches block details by hash.
eth_getBlockByHash#full : Returns full block details by hash.
eth_getBlockByNumber : Retrieves block data by number.
eth_getBlockByNumber#full : Fetches full block details by number.
eth_newBlockFilter : Available only on paid tier. Creates a filter for new blocks.
eth_getBlockReceipts : Fetches receipts for all transactions in a block.
eth_getBlockTransactionCountByHash : Retrieves the number of transactions in a block by its hash.
eth_getBlockTransactionCountByNumber : Returns the number of transactions in a block by its number.

Chain info#

Gathers essential details about the Optimism network and its protocol settings.

eth_chainId : Retrieves the network's chain ID.
eth_protocolVersion : Returns the protocol version of the client.
net_listening : Checks if the node is listening for connections.
net_version : Provides the current network version.
net_peerCount : Returns the number of connected peers.
eth_syncing : Indicates whether the node is syncing.
eth_hashrate : Provides the network's mining hashrate.

Debug and trace#

Available only on paid tier. Contains advanced debugging and tracing tools.

trace_filter : Filters trace data based on specific criteria.
trace_rawTransaction : Replays a raw transaction for debugging.
trace_block : Traces all transactions in a block.
trace_replayBlockTransactions : Replays transactions within a block for analysis.
debug_traceBlockByHash : Traces a block's execution by hash.

Event logs#

Extracts logs related to smart contract events like token transfers or ownership changes.

eth_getLogs : Retrieves logs from the blockchain based on specified filter criteria.
eth_newFilter : Available only on paid tier. Creates a new filter to track specific events.
eth_getFilterChanges : Available only on paid tier. Retrieves changes for an active filter since its last check.
eth_uninstallFilter : Removes an installed filter.
eth_getFilterLogs : Available only on paid tier. Fetches logs from an active filter.

Executing transactions#

Enables the sending of ETH, contract interaction, or writing data to the chain.

eth_call : Executes a read-only call to a smart contract without changing the blockchain state.
eth_sendRawTransaction : Broadcasts a raw, signed transaction to the blockchain for execution.

Gas estimation#

Estimates gas prices and consumption for transactions.

eth_feeHistory : Retrieves historical gas prices over a range of blocks.
eth_estimateGas : Estimates the gas required to execute a transaction.
eth_gasPrice : Returns the current gas price on the network.
eth_createAccessList : Generates an access list for transaction optimization.
eth_maxPriorityFeePerGas : Retrieves the maximum priority fee for gas.

Getting uncles#

Retrieves information about uncle blocks (blocks rejected by the network).

eth_getUncleByBlockHashAndIndex : Fetches details of an uncle block by its hash and index.
eth_getUncleByBlockNumberAndIndex : Retrieves an uncle block by its block number and index.
eth_getUncleCountByBlockHash : Returns the count of uncles for a specific block hash.
eth_getUncleCountByBlockNumber : Retrieves the number of uncles for a block number.

Mining#

Consists of methods that provide information related to the mining.

eth_coinbase : Returns the address of the current coinbase (mining reward recipient).
eth_mining : Indicates whether the node is currently mining blocks.

Subscriptions#

Enables WebSocket connections for continuous monitoring of blockchain changes.

eth_subscribe : Subscribes to events such as new blocks, pending transactions, or logs.
eth_unsubscribe : Unsubscribes from an active WebSocket subscription.

Transactions info#

Accesses transaction details, such as their state, count, or receipts.

eth_getTransactionByHash : Fetches transaction details using its hash.
eth_getTransactionCount : Returns the number of transactions sent from an address.
eth_getTransactionReceipt : Retrieves the receipt of a processed transaction.
eth_newPendingTransactionFilter : Available only on paid tier. Sets up a filter to monitor pending transactions.
eth_getTransactionByBlockHashAndIndex : Retrieves a transaction by block hash and index.
eth_getTransactionByBlockNumberAndIndex : Fetches a transaction by block number and index.
txpool_content : Displays the contents of the transaction pool.

Web3#

Provides utility functions to interact with the blockchain.

web3_clientVersion : Returns the version of the client used by the node.
web3_sha3 : Computes the Keccak-256 (SHA3) hash of the provided input data.

eth_mining Ethereum and Optimism Difference