Version: v2.0.2

Ethereum RPC call reference

This guide provides a comprehensive reference of Ethereum RPC calls used by different Aztec node components. Understanding these calls helps with infrastructure planning, monitoring, and debugging.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding, you should:

Understand how Aztec nodes interact with Ethereum L1
Be familiar with Ethereum JSON-RPC API specifications
Have basic knowledge of the viem library (Aztec's Ethereum client library)

Overview

Aztec nodes interact with Ethereum L1 through the viem library, which provides a type-safe interface to Ethereum JSON-RPC methods. Different node components make different RPC calls based on their responsibilities:

Archiver: Monitors L1 for new blocks and events
Sequencer: Proposes blocks and submits them to L1
Prover: Submits proofs to L1
Validator: Reads L1 state for validation
Slasher: Monitors for misbehavior and submits slashing payloads

RPC call mapping

This table shows the Ethereum JSON-RPC calls used by Aztec nodes:

Ethereum RPC Call	Description
`eth_getBlockByNumber`	Retrieve block information
`eth_blockNumber`	Get latest block number
`eth_getTransactionByHash`	Get transaction details
`eth_getTransactionReceipt`	Get transaction receipt
`eth_getTransactionCount`	Get account nonce
`eth_getLogs`	Retrieve event logs
`eth_getBalance`	Get account ETH balance
`eth_getCode`	Get contract bytecode
`eth_getStorageAt`	Read contract storage slot
`eth_chainId`	Get chain identifier
`eth_estimateGas`	Estimate gas for transaction
`eth_call`	Execute read-only call
`eth_sendRawTransaction`	Broadcast signed transaction
`eth_gasPrice`	Get current gas price
`eth_maxPriorityFeePerGas`	Get priority fee (EIP-1559)

Archiver node

The archiver continuously monitors L1 for new blocks and retrieves historical data.

Block retrieval

Purpose: Sync L2 block data published to L1

RPC calls used:

eth_blockNumber - Get latest L1 block number
eth_getLogs - Retrieve rollup contract events
eth_getBlockByNumber - Get block timestamps and metadata

Example RPC calls:

// eth_blockNumber
{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_blockNumber","params":[],"id":1}

// eth_getLogs
{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_getLogs","params":[{
  "fromBlock":"0x100",
  "toBlock":"0x200",
  "address":"0x...",
  "topics":["0x..."]
}],"id":2}

// eth_getBlockByNumber
{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_getBlockByNumber","params":["0x100",false],"id":3}

L1 to L2 message retrieval

Purpose: Track messages sent from L1 to L2

RPC calls used:

eth_getLogs - Retrieve MessageSent events from Inbox contract

Contract event monitoring

Purpose: Monitor contract deployments and updates

RPC calls used:

eth_getLogs - Retrieve events from ClassRegistry and InstanceRegistry

Events monitored:

ContractClassPublished
ContractInstancePublished
ContractInstanceUpdated
PrivateFunctionBroadcasted
UtilityFunctionBroadcasted

Sequencer node

Sequencers propose blocks and submit them to L1, they also read L1 state to validate blocks and participate in consensus.

Transaction broadcasting

Purpose: Submit block proposals to L1

RPC calls used:

eth_getTransactionCount - Get nonce for sender account
eth_estimateGas - Estimate gas for proposal transaction
eth_sendRawTransaction - Broadcast signed transaction
eth_getTransactionReceipt - Verify transaction inclusion

Example RPC calls:

// eth_getTransactionCount
{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_getTransactionCount","params":["0x...","latest"],"id":1}

// eth_estimateGas
{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_estimateGas","params":[{
  "from":"0x...",
  "to":"0x...",
  "data":"0x..."
}],"id":2}

// eth_sendRawTransaction
{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_sendRawTransaction","params":["0x..."],"id":3}

// eth_getTransactionReceipt
{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_getTransactionReceipt","params":["0x..."],"id":4}

State reading

Purpose: Read rollup state and validate proposals

RPC calls used:

eth_call - Read contract state
eth_getStorageAt - Read specific storage slots
eth_blockNumber - Get current L1 block for validation context
eth_getBlockByNumber - Get block timestamps

Example RPC calls:

// eth_call
{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_call","params":[{
  "to":"0x...",
  "data":"0x..."
},"latest"],"id":1}

// eth_getStorageAt
{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_getStorageAt","params":["0x...","0x0","latest"],"id":2}

Gas management

Purpose: Monitor gas prices and publisher account balances

RPC calls used:

eth_getBalance - Check publisher account balance
eth_gasPrice / eth_maxPriorityFeePerGas - Get current gas prices

Block simulation

Purpose: Validate block proposals before submission

RPC calls used:

eth_call - Simulate contract call to validate proposals

Prover node

The prover submits validity proofs to L1.

Proof submission

Purpose: Submit epoch proofs to the Rollup contract

RPC calls used:

eth_getTransactionCount - Get nonce for prover publisher
eth_estimateGas - Estimate gas for proof submission
eth_sendRawTransaction - Broadcast proof transaction
eth_getTransactionReceipt - Confirm proof inclusion

Note: Uses the same transaction flow as sequencer broadcasting

Chain state monitoring

Purpose: Track L1 state for attestation validation

RPC calls used:

eth_getBlockByNumber - Get L1 timestamps for epoch calculations
eth_chainId - Verify connected to correct chain

Slasher node

The slasher monitors for validator misbehavior and submits slashing payloads.

Misbehavior detection

Purpose: Monitor for slashable offenses and create slash payloads

RPC calls used:

eth_getLogs - Retrieve rollup events for analysis
eth_getBlockByNumber - Get block timestamps for slashing proofs
eth_call - Read validator state

Slashing payload submission

Purpose: Submit slash payloads to L1

RPC calls used:

eth_getTransactionCount - Get nonce for slasher account
eth_sendRawTransaction - Broadcast slashing transaction
eth_getTransactionReceipt - Verify slash transaction inclusion

Note: Uses the same transaction flow as sequencer broadcasting

Shared infrastructure

Aztec provides shared transaction management utilities for all components that submit to L1.

Core functionality

RPC calls used:

eth_getTransactionCount - Nonce management
eth_estimateGas - Gas estimation
eth_gasPrice / eth_maxPriorityFeePerGas - Gas pricing (EIP-1559)
eth_sendRawTransaction - Transaction broadcasting
eth_getTransactionReceipt - Transaction status checking
eth_getTransactionByHash - Transaction lookup for replacement
eth_getBlockByNumber - Block timestamp for timeout checks
eth_getBalance - Publisher balance monitoring

Transaction lifecycle

Preparation: Estimate gas and get gas price
Nonce management: Get and track nonce via NonceManager
Signing: Sign transaction with keystore
Broadcasting: Send via eth_sendRawTransaction
Monitoring: Poll with eth_getTransactionReceipt
Replacement: Replace stuck transactions if needed
Cancellation: Send zero-value transaction to cancel

RPC endpoint configuration

Environment variables

Configure L1 RPC endpoints using:

# Single endpoint
ETHEREUM_HOSTS=https://eth-mainnet.example.com

# Multiple endpoints (fallback)
ETHEREUM_HOSTS=https://eth-mainnet-1.example.com,https://eth-mainnet-2.example.com

# Consensus endpoints for archiver
L1_CONSENSUS_HOST_URLS=https://beacon-node.example.com

Fallback configuration

Aztec automatically retries failed requests on alternative endpoints when multiple RPC URLs are configured. This provides reliability and redundancy for critical operations.

Monitoring and debugging

RPC call logging

Enable detailed RPC logging:

LOG_LEVEL=debug # or verbose

Look for log entries related to:

Transaction lifecycle and nonce management
Block sync and event retrieval
Block proposal submissions
Contract interactions

Common issues

Issue: eth_getLogs query exceeds limits

Solution:

Reduce block range in queries
Use archive node with higher limits
Implement chunked log retrieval

Issue: Transaction replacement failures

Solution:

Ensure eth_getTransactionCount returns consistent nonces
Configure appropriate gas price bumps
Monitor transaction pool status

Issue: Stale state reads

Solution:

Use specific block tags (not latest)
Disable caching with cacheTime: 0
Ensure RPC node is fully synced

Next steps

Review How to Run a Sequencer Node for operational guidance
Learn about High Availability Sequencers for production redundancy configurations
Explore Advanced Keystore Patterns for complex key management
Check Useful Commands for monitoring tools
Join the Aztec Discord for infrastructure support

Prerequisites​

Overview​

RPC call mapping​

Archiver node​

Block retrieval​

L1 to L2 message retrieval​

Contract event monitoring​

Sequencer node​

Transaction broadcasting​

State reading​

Gas management​

Block simulation​

Prover node​

Proof submission​

Chain state monitoring​

Slasher node​

Misbehavior detection​

Slashing payload submission​

Shared infrastructure​

Core functionality​

Transaction lifecycle​

RPC endpoint configuration​

Environment variables​

Fallback configuration​

Monitoring and debugging​

RPC call logging​

Common issues​

Next steps​

Prerequisites

Overview

RPC call mapping

Archiver node

Block retrieval

L1 to L2 message retrieval

Contract event monitoring

Sequencer node

Transaction broadcasting

State reading

Gas management

Block simulation

Prover node

Proof submission

Chain state monitoring

Slasher node

Misbehavior detection

Slashing payload submission

Shared infrastructure

Core functionality

Transaction lifecycle

RPC endpoint configuration

Environment variables

Fallback configuration

Monitoring and debugging

RPC call logging

Common issues

Next steps