Polkadot (DOT)

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

Polkadot is a Layer 0 protocol that connects and secures a network of application-specific Layer 1 blockchains. It is a Substrate-based chain, so it does not use the EVM or the Ethereum JSON-RPC API. The native token is DOT, whose base unit is the Planck (1 DOT = 10^10 Planck). Consensus is Nominated Proof of Stake (NPoS), with BABE for block production and GRANDPA for finality.

GetBlock exposes Polkadot through three surfaces:

Surface	Style	Covers	Use it for
Polkadot JSON-RPC API (Relaychain)	JSON-RPC 2.0	Relay chain	Low-level node access: blocks, state, storage, fees, finality
Substrate API Sidecar (AssetHub + Relaychain)	REST	Asset Hub (default) + Relaychain (/rc)	High-level REST reads: accounts, balances, blocks, staking, pallets, transactions
Asset Hub JSON-RPC API (Primary Network)	JSON-RPC 2.0	Asset Hub system parachain	Assets, foreign assets, and NFTs on Asset Hub, plus the standard Substrate methods

The endpoint provides unified access to both Asset Hub and the Relaychain. For the REST (Sidecar) surface, Asset Hub is the default and the Relaychain is reached with an /rc path prefix. The JSON-RPC surfaces select their method by the request body, not the URL.

Key Features

• Substrate JSON-RPC: Namespaced methods (chain_, state_, system_, payment_, grandpa_, and more) rather than an eth_ API

• NPoS Consensus: Nominated Proof of Stake, with BABE block production and GRANDPA finality

• Deterministic Finality: GRANDPA finalizes blocks irreversibly; BEEFY adds bridge-friendly finality proofs

• Runtime Metadata: state_getMetadata returns SCALE-encoded metadata describing pallets, calls, and storage

• Asset Hub: The system parachain for assets and NFTs, positioned as the primary network for balances and tokens

• Substrate API Sidecar: A REST service over the node for high-level, decode-free reads

• SS58 Addresses: Polkadot uses SS58-encoded addresses (format 0), not 0x hex addresses

• Polkadot.js SDK: The idiomatic JSON-RPC client is @polkadot/api, which connects over WebSocket

GetBlock's Polkadot API reference documentation is provided for informational purposes and developer experience. Polkadot is a Substrate chain; the canonical specifications are maintained by the Polkadot and Substrate projects and published at docs.polkadot.com. Amounts are in Planck and addresses use the SS58 format.

Network Information

Property	Value
Network Name	Polkadot
Native Currency	DOT (1 DOT = 10^10 Planck)
Token Decimals	10
SS58 Format	0
Consensus	NPoS with BABE (production) and GRANDPA (finality)
API Styles	Substrate JSON-RPC and Substrate API Sidecar (REST)
Address Format	SS58-encoded
Block Explorer	Subscan
SDK	Polkadot.js API (@polkadot/api)

Base URL

HTTPS (JSON-RPC)

https://shared.eu-central-1.getblock.io/<ACCESS-TOKEN>/

WebSocket (JSON-RPC)

wss://shared.eu-central-1.getblock.io/<ACCESS-TOKEN>/

REST (Sidecar)

# Asset Hub (default)
https://shared.eu-central-1.getblock.io/<ACCESS-TOKEN>/blocks/head

# Relaychain (/rc prefix)
https://shared.eu-central-1.getblock.io/<ACCESS-TOKEN>/rc/blocks/head

Replace <ACCESS-TOKEN> with the access token from the GetBlock dashboard. JSON-RPC methods are called with a POST request and a JSON-RPC 2.0 body. Sidecar (REST) methods are called with GET/POST against path routes, where Asset Hub is the default and the Relaychain uses the /rc prefix.

Supported Networks

Network	JSON-RPC	WSS	Substrate	Mainnet-Asset-Hub	Testnet-Asset-hub	Frankfurt, Germany
Mainnet	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅

Support

For technical support and questions:

• Support: [e-mail]

See Also

• Polkadot Developer Documentation

• Polkadot.js API

• Substrate API Sidecar

• Subscan Explorer