Programmatically retrieving blockchain data – Part 1

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Introduction

Welcome to the first installment of this multi-part series, Programmatically Retrieving Blockchain Data. In this series, I will delve into the exciting world of blockchain data retrieval and explore its various aspects, applications, and advantages. Blockchain technology has revolutionized industries ranging from finance to supply chain management, and understanding how to programmatically access and analyze blockchain data can provide invaluable insights and opportunities. In this first part, i will focus on the benefits of programmatically retrieving blockchain data and why it matters in today’s digital landscape.

Benefits and use-cases for Programmatically Retrieving Blockchain Data

  • Real-Time Insights – Programmatically accessing blockchain data enables developers, analysts, and researchers to obtain real-time insights into transactions, smart contracts, and network activities. This up-to-the-minute information can empower decision-makers to make informed choices based on the most current data available.
  • Transparency and Trust – Blockchains are known for their transparency and immutability. By programmatically retrieving data, users can independently verify transactions, ensuring that information has not been tampered with. This level of transparency enhances trust among stakeholders and reduces the need for intermediaries.
  • Customized Analysis – Blockchain data can be vast and complex. By programmatically querying and analyzing specific aspects of the blockchain, users can extract customized insights tailored to their needs. This flexibility allows for targeted research, fraud detection, and trend identification.
  • Automated Auditing – Traditional auditing processes can be time-consuming and prone to human error. Programmatically retrieving blockchain data streamlines auditing procedures, making them more efficient and accurate. Auditors can verify transactions and compliance measures with greater ease.
  • Smart Contract Monitoring – Smart contracts are self-executing agreements with predefined conditions. Programmatic access to blockchain data enables real-time monitoring of smart contracts, ensuring that they function as intended and triggering alerts or actions when specific conditions are met.
  • Innovation and Research – Developers can leverage programmatically retrieved blockchain data to build new applications, services, and products. Researchers can study transaction patterns, user behaviors, and network dynamics to drive innovation in various industries.
  • Risk Management – Enterprises can use programmatically retrieved blockchain data to assess risks associated with specific transactions or addresses. This data-driven approach enhances risk management strategies and helps prevent fraudulent activities.

Exercise

In this post, we’ll be programmatically accessing transaction data from BSC Mainnet. A blockchain transaction is a digital record representing the movement of data, assets, or information between participants on a blockchain network, authenticated by cryptographic signatures, assigned a unique identifier (transaction hash), and confirmed through a consensus mechanism, thereby ensuring transparency, security, and immutability of the transaction’s details within the blockchain’s ledger.

We’ll be doing the following steps in this exercise:

  • Sign up for an RPC provider and obtain a BSC Mainnet Endpoint
  • Get the latest block number from BSC Mainnet
  • Parse that block for transaction
  • Return the transaction data for that transaction

Step 1 – Sign up for an RPC Provider and obtain a BSC Mainnet Endpoint

In order to interact with the blockchain programmatically, you need to access the RPC endpoint of the chain. You could use the shared public endpoint provided by the foundation or you sign up for an endpoint with an RPC Provider. A blockchain RPC provider is a software interface that allows external applications to communicate and interact with a blockchain network by making remote procedure calls to access data and services. Using a paid RPC provider offers enhanced reliability, performance, and dedicated support compared to public endpoints, ensuring consistent and high-quality access to blockchain data and services.

QuickNode

QuickNode is the best RPC provider and blockchain development platform on the market. It’s often praised for its comprehensive features, high performance, and dedicated support, making it a preferred choice for many developers and projects seeking reliable access to blockchain networks through its optimized nodes and user-friendly interface.

Head over to Quicknode.com to create a new free account and create a BSC Mainnet Endpoint. If you love the service (which I’m sure you will) use coupon code abqNVcwd to get $20 off if upgrade to the Build or Scale plan.

Also check out their Getting Started guide to ensure your making the most out of your QuickNode Subscription.

Step 2 – Get the latest block number

Blockchain transactions are individual records of data or value transfers, and they are grouped together in blocks, which are sequentially linked to form a chronological and immutable chain of transactions in a blockchain.

We are going to use a RPC method eth_blockNumber to retrieve the current and most recent block number. 

curl $INSERT_QUICKNODE_BSC_ENDPOINT  \
  -X POST \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{"method":"eth_blockNumber","params":[],"id":1,"jsonrpc":"2.0"}'

{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"result":"0xccb93d"}%

The payload from eth_blockNumber returns a hexadecimal string representing the current block number on the blockchain. This number indicates the position of the latest block in the blockchain’s sequence. In this case, the response payload is "0xccb93d", it corresponds to the decimal block number 13416765.

Step 3 – Parse block the block for transactions

We are going to use the RPC method eth_getBlockByNumber to retrieve detailed information about a specific block on the blockchain based on its block number or block tag. This method will return a comprehensive set of data associated with a particular block, including its hash, timestamp, transaction list, and other relevant details.

The payload from eth_getBlockByNumber returns the following key attributes.

  • number – The block number (as a hexadecimal string) or null if the block is not found.
  • hash – The block’s unique hash.
  • parentHash – The hash of the previous block.
  • nonce – A proof-of-work consensus algorithm value.
  • sha3Uncles – A hash of the uncles (stale blocks).
  • logsBloom – A bloom filter related to logs and transactions.
  • transactionsRoot – The root of the transaction trie.
  • stateRoot – The root of the state trie.
  • receiptsRoot – The root of the receipts trie.
  • miner – The address of the miner who created the block.
  • difficulty – The block’s difficulty value.
  • totalDifficulty – The cumulative difficulty of the chain up to this block.
  • extraData – Extra data associated with the block.
  • size – The size of the block in bytes.
  • gasLimit – The maximum gas allowed in the block.
  • gasUsed – The total gas used by all transactions in the block.
  • timestamp – The UNIX timestamp of when the block was mined.
  • transactions – An array of transaction objects included in the block.
  • uncles – An array of uncle blocks.
curl $INSERT_QUICKNODE_BSC_ENDPOINT \
-X POST \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
--data '{"method":"eth_getBlockByNumber","params":["0xccb93d",false],"id":1,"jsonrpc":"2.0"}'

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 1,
  "result": {
    "number": "0xccb93d",
    "logsBloom": "0x3dff37f45b61fdfae68a3bddefe7419b3c0885c4be39d62fd5e646be77feb3d05378fe9fbf8435dfdffedabc2c2da542ab7588da78cab95f5b224c85fdbef7dfebfec6738fac217d3b5fff6dcc7da7b4fedbeae3f366fe8fb3fdfbc7cffb526affcefceaa366cbd766fbf3769ba3efd37b3929edaa75e7d676eff9f514d4611ab0ec97a7cc9fbd640aedb56dfd103db111a45dc5f97fb5ac3fb733c4cc18ff77e62fd9f276cd9f1fd8eb77484f6766f84ff7e59b32d6fac5cee04b9b34879aceeff15c8e337b01bb3c993fc965d7bed9ffedbe17e59b39b577ef5feff555ed6afbf537fdbdb0f9a8e965f314bf64dbe6d8cf2e1eff7f7a7fff77daac7f4fafad",
    "stateRoot": "0x2017ad7c1515b4dcf6fd9ef58970303abdc557862fc0d25cf215ce75fa1a3965",
    "sha3Uncles": "0x1dcc4de8dec75d7aab85b567b6ccd41ad312451b948a7413f0a142fd40d49347",
    "totalDifficulty": "0x1969e02",
    "receiptsRoot": "0x0c9c9c142ecccacd291bf5655b7d0ddf5c91dae15541526ff37d6418d995f8a0",
    "hash": "0x8779f0e31c5c3135273189cf58090c5831a23b80b3abd936d0d9f246ca35af74",
    "gasUsed": "0x3afec16",
    "timestamp": "0x61b633b0",
    "miner": "0xa6f79b60359f141df90a0c745125b131caaffd12",
    "difficulty": "0x2",
    "nonce": "0x0000000000000000",
    "size": "0xdfa7",
    "parentHash": "0xc82115cf6f2e42f3dcae41772677ba94d23f06d2544cc99b9b1913272e7ce366",
    "uncles": [],
    "gasLimit": "0x4e0a6df",
    "transactionsRoot": "0x34a104897ae467f78dc372d446000b3347961711915cd75629af40a3e914d783",
    "extraData": "0xd983010107846765746889676f312e31362e3130856c696e75780000c3167bdf878e0bace93cb22a5c4e2f32ed8e6f9631e9b2a1c581ad28709333d6f4e5ec8c0749b0d030a62e53e398932d120e59125166ab7f5d530b4dc5ffaffd4ce9679e01",
    "mixHash": "0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000",
    "transactions": [
      "0x5326574007e795ba4f51d09d4e79ee66ff1a3136b43b89e7f80da2c943612061",
      "..truncated"
    ]
  }
}

Step 4 – Get the transaction information

We’ll be examining the first transaction returned from eth_getBlockByNumber call. We’ll be using the eth_getTransactionByHash method to retrieve information about a specific transaction on the Ethereum blockchain by providing its unique transaction hash.

When you send a transaction on the Ethereum network, it gets assigned a unique hash, which serves as its identifier. This hash is derived from the transaction’s content, including details like sender address, recipient address, value, data, gas price, and more. It’s a cryptographic fingerprint of the transaction.

curl $INSERT_QUICKNODE_BSC_ENDPOINT \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
--data '{"method":"eth_getTransactionByHash","params":["0x5326574007e795ba4f51d09d4e79ee66ff1a3136b43b89e7f80da2c943612061"],"id":1,"jsonrpc":"2.0"}' 

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 1,
  "result": {
    "hash": "0x5326574007e795ba4f51d09d4e79ee66ff1a3136b43b89e7f80da2c943612061",
    "to": "0x03ab98f5dc94996f8c33e15cd4468794d12d41f9",
    "r": "0xb204ebf87f50f638895d47bb05d73f04a924a820e07376363b2d519c0a6d4ae2",
    "chainId": "0x38",
    "from": "0xa14932d5312de6e6e2fc4848e46ca6e47921a72d",
    "blockHash": "0x8779f0e31c5c3135273189cf58090c5831a23b80b3abd936d0d9f246ca35af74",
    "gasPrice": "0x5d21dba00",
    "type": "0x0",
    "nonce": "0x1861",
    "input": "0x51cff8d900000000000000000000000022d5b727e9688e8b7203c60ecbafbee8808f8224",
    "s": "0x45240a3b02d7a44c3f0c9d5a50ff3c157a89b95ce65428c96d1503fcb67c4359",
    "v": "0x93",
    "blockNumber": "0xccb93d",
    "gas": "0x30d40",
    "value": "0x0",
    "transactionIndex": "0x0"
  }
}

By using the eth_getTransactionByHash method, you can query an Ethereum node for detailed information about a transaction based on its hash. The information returned typically includes:

  • Block Information – The block number and block hash in which the transaction was included.
  • Transaction Index – The position of the transaction within the block’s list of transactions.
  • Sender (From) Address – The Ethereum address that initiated the transaction.
  • Recipient (To) Address – The Ethereum address that received the transaction (if it’s a contract execution, this may be empty).
  • Transaction Value – The amount of Ether (ETH) transferred in the transaction.
  • Gas and Gas Price – The gas used by the transaction and the price per unit of gas.
  • Input Data – Additional data sent with the transaction (often used for smart contract interactions).
  • Transaction Hash – The unique identifier of the transaction.
  • Nonce – A nonce is a counter that prevents replay attacks and helps order transactions from a sender.
  • V, R, S Values – Cryptographic values related to the transaction’s signature.

This method is particularly useful for retrieving and verifying transaction details, checking the status of a transaction (whether it’s pending, mined, or failed), and for building tools, explorers, or applications that require access to specific transaction information on the Ethereum blockchain.

Closing

Programmatically retrieving blockchain data opens up a realm of possibilities for real-time insights, transparency, customization, and innovation. In this multi-part series, we will explore the technical aspects of accessing blockchain data programmatically, including APIs, libraries, and coding examples. Stay tuned for the upcoming parts, where we will delve deeper into the tools and techniques to harness the power of blockchain data for your projects and endeavors.