getblockchaininfo - Zcash

Example code for the getblockchaininfo JSON-RPC method. Сomplete guide on how to use the getblockchaininfo JSON-RPC method in GetBlock.io Web3 documentation.

This method returns comprehensive blockchain state: chain name, current best height and hash, activated network upgrades, transparent and shielded pool balances, and estimated header count. It's the canonical endpoint for wallets and indexers to understand the current chain state in one call.

Parameters

This method takes no parameters.

Request

cURL

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

Axios

example.js

const axios = require('axios');

const response = await axios.post('https://go.getblock.io/<ACCESS-TOKEN>/', {
    jsonrpc: '2.0',
    method: 'getblockchaininfo',
    params: [],
    id: 'getblock.io'
}, {
    headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' }
});

console.log(response.data.result);

Request

example.py

import requests

response = requests.post(
    'https://go.getblock.io/<ACCESS-TOKEN>/',
    headers={'Content-Type': 'application/json'},
    json={
        'jsonrpc': '2.0',
        'method': 'getblockchaininfo',
        'params': [],
        'id': 'getblock.io'
    }
)

print(response.json())

Rust

example.rs

use reqwest::Client;
use serde_json::{json, Value};

#[tokio::main]
async fn main() -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
    let client = Client::new();
    
    let response = client
        .post("https://go.getblock.io/<ACCESS-TOKEN>/")
        .header("Content-Type", "application/json")
        .json(&json!({
            "jsonrpc": "2.0",
            "method": "getblockchaininfo",
            "params": [],
            "id": "getblock.io"
        }))
        .send()
        .await?
        .json::<Value>()
        .await?;
    
    println!("Result: {}", response["result"]);
    Ok(())
}

Response

{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "id": "getblock.io",
    "result": {
        "chain": "main",
        "blocks": 3420501,
        "headers": 3420501,
        "difficulty": 228671456.48084024,
        "verificationprogress": 1.0,
        "chainwork": 0,
        "pruned": false,
        "size_on_disk": 275502566707,
        "commitments": 0,
        "bestblockhash": "0000000000702274467e0acbc3420999a97cf6f8f9c579651e74cf850056a285",
        "estimatedheight": 3420501,
        "chainSupply": {
            "chainValue": 16834165.7905448,
            "chainValueZat": 1683416579054480,
            "monitored": true
        },
        "valuePools": [
            {
                "id": "transparent",
                "chainValue": 12381989.41404258,
                "chainValueZat": 1238198941404258,
                "monitored": true
            },
            {
                "id": "sprout",
                "chainValue": 25409.41766914,
                "chainValueZat": 2540941766914,
                "monitored": true
            },
            {
                "id": "sapling",
                "chainValue": 590908.08661313,
                "chainValueZat": 59090808661313,
                "monitored": true
            },
            {
                "id": "orchard",
                "chainValue": 3784464.74721995,
                "chainValueZat": 378446474721995,
                "monitored": true
            },
            {
                "id": "lockbox",
                "chainValue": 51394.125,
                "chainValueZat": 5139412500000,
                "monitored": true
            },
            {
                "id": "ironwood",
                "chainValue": 0.0,
                "chainValueZat": 0,
                "monitored": false
            }
        ],
        "upgrades": {
            "5ba81b19": {
                "name": "Overwinter",
                "activationheight": 347500,
                "status": "active"
            },
            "76b809bb": {
                "name": "Sapling",
                "activationheight": 419200,
                "status": "active"
            },
            "2bb40e60": {
                "name": "Blossom",
                "activationheight": 653600,
                "status": "active"
            },
            "f5b9230b": {
                "name": "Heartwood",
                "activationheight": 903000,
                "status": "active"
            },
            "e9ff75a6": {
                "name": "Canopy",
                "activationheight": 1046400,
                "status": "active"
            },
            "c2d6d0b4": {
                "name": "NU5",
                "activationheight": 1687104,
                "status": "active"
            },
            "c8e71055": {
                "name": "NU6",
                "activationheight": 2726400,
                "status": "active"
            },
            "4dec4df0": {
                "name": "NU6.1",
                "activationheight": 3146400,
                "status": "active"
            },
            "5437f330": {
                "name": "NU6.2",
                "activationheight": 3364600,
                "status": "active"
            },
            "37a5165b": {
                "name": "NU6.3",
                "activationheight": 3428143,
                "status": "pending"
            }
        },
        "consensus": {
            "chaintip": "5437f330",
            "nextblock": "5437f330"
        }
    }
}

Response Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
chain	string	Chain name — main or test
blocks	integer	Current best-known chain tip height
headers	integer	Number of validated headers
bestblockhash	string	Hash of the current chain tip
difficulty	number	Current proof-of-work difficulty multiplier
verificationprogress	number	Sync progress as a fraction from 0.0 to 1.0
chainwork	string	Total accumulated proof-of-work as a hex string
pruned	boolean	Whether the node has pruned historical blocks
size_on_disk	integer	Total disk space used by the node's chain state
commitments	integer	Total note commitments across all shielded pools
valuePools	array of object	Per-pool balance breakdown (transparent, sprout, sapling, orchard)
valuePools[].id	string	Pool identifier (transparent, sprout, sapling, orchard)
valuePools[].chainValue	number	Pool balance in ZEC
valuePools[].chainValueZat	integer	Pool balance in zatoshi (1 ZEC = 10^8 zat)
upgrades	object	Map of network upgrade branch ID → activation info
upgrades.<id>.name	string	Human-readable upgrade name
upgrades.<id>.activationheight	integer	Height at which the upgrade activated
upgrades.<id>.status	string	active, pending, disabled, or failed
consensus.chaintip	string	Consensus branch ID at the current tip
consensus.nextblock	string	Consensus branch ID for the next block
estimatedheight	integer	Estimated chain tip height based on peer headers

Use Cases

• Wallet Sync State Detection: Read verificationprogress and compare blocks to estimatedheight to determine if the node is synced

• Network Upgrade Awareness: Check the upgrades map to determine which consensus rules apply — critical for transaction construction after a network upgrade

• Value Pool Analytics: Track shielded-pool balances across Sapling and Orchard for research and monitoring

• Consensus Branch Detection: Read the consensus.nextblock branch ID for transaction construction — required in transaction signature hashes post-NU5

• Storage Capacity Planning: Monitor size_on_disk on self-hosted nodes for infrastructure sizing

Error Handling

Error Code	Message	Description
-32603	Internal error	Node failed to compile the blockchain info payload