Cardano(ADA)

GetBlock provides fast, reliable access to Cardano nodes via Ogmios JSON-RPC and the Rosetta API. Connect to the Cardano network without running your own infrastructure.

Cardano is a proof-of-stake Layer 1 blockchain that uses the Extended UTXO (EUTXO) accounting model and the Ouroboros consensus protocol. It supports native assets that move without smart contracts and Plutus scripts for programmable validation. GetBlock exposes Cardano through three interfaces: the Rosetta API, Ogmios over JSON-RPC, and Ogmios over WebSocket.

Key Features

• EUTXO Model: Extends the unspent-output model with scripts and datums for deterministic validation.

• Native Assets: Mints and transfers tokens as first-class ledger objects without contracts.

• Ouroboros Consensus: Secures the chain with a peer-reviewed proof-of-stake protocol.

• Staking and Delegation: Lets ada holders delegate to stake pools and earn rewards.

• On-Chain Governance: Supports the Conway-era governance system of proposals and voting.

• Plutus Scripts: Validates spending with scripts whose execution units are metered.

• Rosetta Interface: Offers a standardized construction and data API for exchange integration.

• Ogmios Bridge: Provides low-level ledger, network, and mempool access over JSON-RPC and WebSocket.

TECHNICAL DISCLAIMER.

GetBlock's Cardano API reference documentation is provided for informational purposes and developer experience. The canonical specifications are maintained by the Rosetta and Ogmios projects and by Input Output Global. The Rosetta interface follows the Rosetta API specification; the Ogmios interface follows the Ogmios v6 JSON-RPC API.

Network Information

Property	Value
Network Name	Cardano Mainnet
Native Currency	ADA (1 ADA = 1,000,000 lovelace)
Consensus	Ouroboros Proof of Stake
Model	Extended UTXO (EUTXO)
Address Format	Bech32 (addr, stake)

Base URL

Rosetta / Ogmios (JSON_RPC)

https://go.getblock.io/<ACCESS-TOKEN>/

Ogmios (WebSocket)

wss://go.getblock.io/<ACCESS-TOKEN>/

Supported Networks

Network	Rosetta	Ogmios JSON-RPC	Ogmios WebSocket
Mainnet	✅	✅	✅

APIs

Cardano is served through three interfaces. Each has its own reference section.

Interface	Transport	Use it for
Rosetta	HTTP POST	Standardized data and transaction construction, exchange flows
Ogmios JSON-RPC	HTTP POST	Ledger and network state queries, transaction submission
Ogmios WebSocket	WebSocket	Chain synchronization, ledger-state acquisition, mempool monitoring

Quickstart

In this section, you will learn how to make your first call with either:

• Javascript(Axios)

• Python

Javascript(Axios)

1

Setup project

Create and initialize a new project:

mkdir cardano-api-quickstart
cd cardano-api-quickstart
npm init --yes

2

Install Axios

npm install axios

3

Create file

Create a new file named index.js. This is where you will make your first call.

4

Set ES module type

Set the ES module "type": "module" in your package.json.

5

Add code

Add the following code to index.js:

index.js

const axios = require('axios');

const url = 'https://go.getblock.io/<ACCESS-TOKEN>/';

const payload = {
  jsonrpc: '2.0',
  method: 'queryNetwork/blockHeight',
  id: 'getblock.io'
};

axios.post(url, payload, {
  headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' }
})
.then(response => {
  const blockNumber = parseInt(response.data.result, 16);
  console.log('Current Block Number:', blockNumber);
})
.catch(error => console.error(error));

Replace <ACCESS-TOKEN> with your actual access token from GetBlock.

6

Run the script

node index.js

Expected output (example):

{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "method": "queryNetwork/blockHeight",
    "result": 13748077,
    "id": "getblock.io"
}

Python(Request)

1

Set up the project directory

mkdir cardano-api-quickstart
cd cardano-api-quickstart

2

Create and activate a virtual environment

python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate

# On Windows, use venv\Scripts\activate

3

Install requests

pip install requests

4

Create script

Create a file called main.py with the following content:

main.py

import requests
import json

url = "https://go.getblock.io/<ACCESS-TOKEN>/"

payload = json.dumps({
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "method": "queryNetwork/blockHeight",
    "id": "getblock.io"
})

headers = {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
}

response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, data=payload)
print(response.text)

Replace <ACCESS-TOKEN> with your actual access token from GetBlock.

5

Run the script

python main.py

Support

For technical support and questions:

• Support: [e-mail]

See Also

• Rosetta API Specification

• Ogmios Documentation

• Cardano Developer Portal