eth_getCode - Ethereum
Retrieve the compiled bytecode of a smart contract at a specific address using eth_getCode. Essential for verifying contract deployment and analyzing bytecode in Web3 development.
The eth_getCode RPC Ethereum method is part of the Ethereum JSON RPC protocol. It retrieves the compiled code of a smart contract located at a specific address.
The response is returned as a hexadecimal value, representing the contract's bytecode.
This method is commonly used by developers working with Web3 and smart contract platforms to verify if a contract is deployed at a specific address or to fetch the bytecode for analysis. Ethereum eth_getCode is an essential part of the Ethereum endpoints for blockchain interaction via JSON-RPC.
Supported Networks
The eth_getCode RPC Ethereum method supports the following network types
Mainnet
Testnet: Sepolia, Holesky
Parameters
DATA: A 20-byte address of the contract whose code you want to retrieve.
QUANTITY or TAG:
latest
: Retrieves data from the most recently mined block.earliest
: Retrieves data from the genesis block.pending
: Retrieves data from the block currently being mined.
Request Example
URL (API Endpoint)
https://go.getblock.io/<ACCESS-TOKEN>/
Here is an eth_getCode example of how to use the method in a JSON-RPC request
curl --location --request POST 'https://go.getblock.io/<ACCESS-TOKEN>/' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--data-raw '{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"method": "eth_getCode",
"params": [
"0xa50a51c09a5c451c52bb714527e1974b686d8e77",
"latest"
],
"id": "getblock.io"
}'
method: Specifies the API method (eth_getCode).
params: Contains:
The 20-byte contract address.
The block parameter indicating the block to reference (latest).
id: A unique identifier for the request.
Response Example
The response from the eth_getBlockTransactionCountByNumber method will look like this:
{
"id": "getblock.io",
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"result": "0x"
}
Response Description
id: Matches the id from the request to help correlate responses.
jsonrpc: Confirms the JSON-RPC protocol version ("2.0").
result:
A hexadecimal string containing the smart contract’s compiled bytecode if the contract exists.
"0x" if no smart contract is present at the queried address.
Error Response Example
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": "getblock.io",
"error": {
"code": -32602,
"message": "Invalid params"
}
}
Developers may encounter common issues such as an eth_getCode error, which typically occurs due to invalid parameters or an inaccessible block. Always ensure your request includes a valid contract address and block parameter.
Use Case
Checking for the presence of a smart contract Use eth_getCode to verify whether a smart contract is deployed at a given address. If the result is "0x", no contract exists at the address.
Fetching contract bytecode Retrieve the bytecode of a deployed smart contract for further analysis, such as reverse engineering or debugging.
Integrating with Web3 This method is commonly used by developers working with Web3 eth_getCode to interact with Ethereum smart contracts programmatically.
Code Example
Here is an example request for getting contract code using different programming languages
import requests
import json
# Define the API URL and access token
url = 'https://go.getblock.io/<ACCESS-TOKEN>/'
headers = {'Content-Type': 'application/json'}
# Prepare the request data
data = {
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"method": "eth_getCode",
"params": [
"0xa50a51c09a5c451c52bb714527e1974b686d8e77",
"latest"
],
"id": "getblock.io"
}
# Send the POST request
response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, data=json.dumps(data))
# Parse the JSON response
response_data = response.json()
# Print the result
print(json.dumps(response_data, indent=4))
Request Setup:The API method eth_getCode is invoked with the necessary parameters (address and block). Error Handling:Handles HTTP errors (e.g., server not reachable) and JSON-RPC-specific errors (e.g., invalid parameters or method issues). Result Usage:If a contract is present, logs its bytecode value for further processing.
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