🛠️ Common Methods: eth_call vs eth_send
Master the most-used RPC methods for reading and writing data
Communicate with blockchain nodes programmatically
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0 / 5 completed🔧 Common RPC Methods
Ethereum has 70+ RPC methods, but you'll use ~10-15 regularly. They fall into three categories: Read methods (query blockchain state, no gas), Write methods (submit transactions, costs gas), and Network methods (node info, network status). Let's explore the most important ones you'll use daily when building dApps.
🎮 Interactive: Method Category Browser
Select a category to explore common RPC methods. Click through each method to see parameters, return values, use cases, and real-world examples.
eth_getBalance
1 / 5Check wallet/contract ETH balance
⚡ Performance Tips
Send multiple RPC calls in one HTTP request using JSON-RPC batch format. Reduces latency by 10-100x for multiple queries. Libraries like ethers.js support this via provider.send([...]).
Block data, transaction receipts, and historical logs never change. Cache them in your database or browser localStorage. Don't re-fetch the same block 1000 times—it's identical every time.
For monitoring new blocks or pending transactions, use eth_subscribe via WebSocket instead of polling eth_blockNumber every second. Saves 99% of requests.
💡 Key Insight
Most dApps use 5 methods 90% of the time: eth_call (read contract), eth_sendRawTransaction (write), eth_getBalance (check ETH), eth_getLogs (query events), and eth_blockNumber (current block). Master these five and you can build 95% of Web3 applications. The other 65 methods are for edge cases, debugging, or specialized tools.