getchaintips - Bitcoin

Example code for the getchaintips JSON-RPC method. Complete guide on how to use getchaintips JSON-RPC in GetBlock Web3 documentation.

This method returns information about all known tips in the block tree, including the main chain and orphaned branches.

Parameters

• None

Request

cURL

curl --location --request POST 'https://go.getblock.io/<ACCESS-TOKEN>/' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--data-raw '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "method": "getchaintips",
    "params": [],
    "id": "getblock.io"
}'

Axios

Request

Rust

Response

{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "id": "getblock.io",
    "result": [
        {
            "height": 820000,
            "hash": "000000000000000000046b9302e08c16ea186950f42a5498320ddd1bd7ab3428",
            "branchlen": 0,
            "status": "active"
        },
        {
            "height": 819998,
            "hash": "000000000000000000047c9402e08c16ea186950f42a5498320ddd1bd7ab3425",
            "branchlen": 1,
            "status": "valid-fork"
        },
        {
            "height": 819990,
            "hash": "000000000000000000048d9502e08c16ea186950f42a5498320ddd1bd7ab3420",
            "branchlen": 3,
            "status": "headers-only"
        }
    ]
}

Response Parameters

Field	Type	Description
height	number	Height of the chain tip.
hash	string	Block hash of the tip.
branchlen	number	Length of branch connecting to main chain (0 for main chain).
status	string	Status of the chain: "active", "valid-fork", "valid-headers", "headers-only", or "invalid".

Status	Description
active	This is the tip of the most-work chain.
valid-fork	This branch is not part of the active chain but is fully validated.
valid-headers	Headers are valid but block data not available.
headers-only	Only headers received, not validated.
invalid	Block or one of its ancestors is invalid.

Use Case

The getchaintips method is essential for:

• Monitoring chain reorganizations

• Detecting potential 51% attacks

• Analyzing blockchain forks

• Building chain visualization tools

• Debugging node synchronization issues

• Monitoring network consensus

Error Handling

Status Code	Error Message	Cause
403	RBAC: access denied	Missing or invalid ACCESS-TOKEN.

Integration With Web3

The getchaintips method helps developers:

• Build chain reorganization monitors

• Create fork detection systems

• Implement consensus monitoring

• Visualize blockchain structure

• Analyze chain competition