> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.getblock.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.getblock.io/api-reference/near-protocol-near.md).

# NEAR Protocol (NEAR)

NEAR Protocol API Reference for seamless interaction with NEAR nodes, enabling scalable, developer-friendly, decentralised applications with low fees and fast transaction finality.

NEAR Protocol is a developer-friendly Layer 1 blockchain built to make decentralised applications (dApps) fast, user-friendly, and scalable.

It uses a Proof of Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism to validate transactions while sharding the network into smaller pieces that work in parallel. This design allows NEAR to process transactions quickly and efficiently with low fees.

Smart contracts on NEAR can be written in:

* [JavaScript](https://www.learn-js.org/)
* [Rust](https://www.rust-lang.org/)
* [Python](https://www.python.org/)
* [Go](https://go.dev/)

Beyond just being a blockchain, NEAR is also a platform for AI agents. Its vision is to create a future of User-Owned AI, where artificial intelligence and autonomous agents serve their users — not corporations.

You can do the following with NEAR Protocol API:

1. Get block, transaction and network information
2. Get account information
3. Send and validate transactions
4. Get estimate of gas and fees
5. Interact with smart contracts
6. Monitor network health

## NEAR Network Support

| Network | API Interface |
| ------- | ------------- |
| Mainnet | JSON RPC      |

Each method will provide you with the following:

* Clear description of functionality and use cases
* Required input parameters
* Sample requests and responses
* Supported network
* Code example
* Integration

## Quickstart

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

* Axios
* Python

### Quickstart with Axios

Before you begin, you must have already installed `npm` or `yarn` on your local machine. If not, check out [npm](https://docs.npmjs.com/downloading-and-installing-node-js-and-npm) or [yarn](https://classic.yarnpkg.com/lang/en/docs/install).

1. Set up your project using this command:

   For npm:

   ```bash
   mkdir near-api-quickstart
   cd near-api-quickstart
   npm init --yes
   ```

   Or yarn:

   ```bash
   mkdir near-api-quickstart
   cd near-api-quickstart
   yarn init --yes
   ```

This creates a project directory named `near-api-quickstart` and initialises a Node.js project within it.

2. Install Axios using this command:\
   Using npm:

   ```bash
   npm install axios
   ```

   Using yarn:

   ```bash
   yarn add axios
   ```
3. Create a new file and name it `index.js`. This is where you will make your first call.
4. Set ES module `"type": "module"` in your `package.json`.
5. Add the following code to the file (`index.js`):

   ```js
   import axios from "axios"
   let data = JSON.stringify({
     "jsonrpc": "2.0",
     "method": "gas_price",
     "params": [
       169528908
     ],
     "id": "getblock.io"
   });

   let config = {
     method: 'post',
     maxBodyLength: Infinity,
     url: 'https://shared.eu-central-1.getblock.io/<ACCESS_TOKEN>',
     headers: { 
       'Content-Type': 'application/json'
     },
     data : data
   };

   axios.request(config)
   .then((response) => {
     console.log(JSON.stringify(response.data));
   })
   .catch((error) => {
     console.log(error);
   });

   ```

   > Replace `<ACCESS_TOKEN>` with your actual access token from GetBlock.
6. Run the script:

   ```bash
   node index.js
   ```

   The current gas price will log in the console like this:

   ```json
    {
       "jsonrpc": "2.0",
       "result": {
           "gas_price": "100000000"
       },
       "id": "getblock.io"
   }
   ```

### Quickstart with Python and Requests

Before you begin, you must have installed Python and Pip on your local machine.

1. Set up your project using this command:

   ```bash
   mkdir near-api-quickstart
   cd near-api-quickstart
   ```
2. Set up a virtual environment to isolate dependencies:

   ```bash
   python -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate  
   # On Windows, use venv\Scripts\activate
   ```
3. Install the requests library:

   ```bash
   pip install requests
   ```
4. Create a new file called [`main.py`](http://main.py) and insert the following code:

   ```python
    import requests
   import json

   url = "https://shared.eu-central-1.getblock.io/<ACCESS_TOKEN>"

   payload = json.dumps({
     "jsonrpc": "2.0",
     "method": "gas_price",
     "params": [
       169528908
     ],
     "id": "getblock.io"
   })
   headers = {
     'Content-Type': 'application/json'
   }

   response = requests.request("POST", url, headers=headers, data=payload)

   print(response.text)

   ```

   > Replace `<ACCESS_TOKEN>` with your actual access token from GetBlock.
5. Run the script:

   ```bash
   python main.py
   ```

## Method Grouping

1. Network Information
   * network\_info
   * validators
   * status
2. Blocks and Transactions
   * block
   * chunk
   * tx
   * broadcast\_tx\_async
   * broadcast\_tx\_commit
3. Contracts
   * call\_function
   * query(view\_code)
   * query(view\_state)
4. Gas and Fees
   * gas\_price
5. Account
   * query(view\_account)
   * query(view\_account\_basic)