External Node Documentation
Info
For local testing, we recommend setting up an in-memory node and forking mainnet.
External Node Documentation
This documentation explains the basics of the zkSync Era External Node.
Disclaimers
- The external node is in the alpha phase, and should be used with caution.
- While in alpha, the EN is dependent on a DB snapshot in order to run that is not yet publicly available.
- The EN is a read-only replica of the main node. We are currently working on decentralizing our infrastructure by creating a consensus node. The EN is not going to be the consensus node.
What is the External Node?
The external node (herein EN) is a read-replica of the main (centralized) node that can be run by external parties. It functions by fetching data from the zkSync API and re-applying transactions locally, starting from the genesis block. The EN shares most of its codebase with the main node. Consequently, when it re-applies transactions, it does so exactly as the main node did in the past.
In Ethereum terms, the current state of the EN represents an archive node, providing access to the entire history of the blockchain.
High-level Overview
At a high level, the EN can be seen as an application that has the following modules:
- API server that provides the publicly available Web3 interface.
- Synchronization layer that interacts with the main node and retrieves transactions and blocks to re-execute.
- Sequencer component that actually executes and persists transactions received from the synchronization layer.
- Several checker modules that ensure the consistency of the EN state.
With the EN, you are able to:
- Locally recreate and verify the zkSync Era mainnet/testnet state.
- Interact with the recreated state in a trustless way (in a sense that the validity is locally verified, and you should not rely on a third-party API zkSync Era provides).
- Use the Web3 API without having to query the main node.
- Send L2 transactions (that will be proxied to the main node).
With the EN, you can not:
- Create L2 blocks or L1 batches on your own.
- Generate proofs.
- Submit data to L1.
A more detailed overview of the EN's components is provided in the components section.
API Overview
API exposed by the EN strives to be Web3-compliant. If some method is exposed but behaves differently compared to Ethereum, it should be considered a bug. Please report such cases.
eth_ Namespace
Data getters in this namespace operate in the L2 space: require/return L2 block numbers, check balances in L2, etc.
Available methods:
| Method | Notes |
|---|---|
eth_blockNumber | |
eth_chainId | |
eth_call | |
eth_estimateGas | |
eth_gasPrice | |
eth_newFilter | Maximum amount of installed filters is configurable |
eth_newBlockFilter | Same as above |
eth_newPendingTransactionsFilter | Same as above |
eth_uninstallFilter | |
eth_getLogs | Maximum amount of returned entities can be configured |
eth_getFilterLogs | Same as above |
eth_getFilterChanges | Same as above |
eth_getBalance | |
eth_getBlockByNumber | |
eth_getBlockByHash | |
eth_getBlockTransactionCountByNumber | |
eth_getBlockTransactionCountByHash | |
eth_getCode | |
eth_getStorageAt | |
eth_getTransactionCount | |
eth_getTransactionByHash | |
eth_getTransactionByBlockHashAndIndex | |
eth_getTransactionByBlockNumberAndIndex | |
eth_getTransactionReceipt | |
eth_protocolVersion | |
eth_sendRawTransaction | |
eth_syncing | EN is considered synced if it's less than 11 blocks behind the main node. |
eth_coinbase | Always returns a zero address |
eth_accounts | Always returns an empty list |
eth_getCompilers | Always returns an empty list |
eth_hashrate | Always returns zero |
eth_getUncleCountByBlockHash | Always returns zero |
eth_getUncleCountByBlockNumber | Always returns zero |
eth_mining | Always returns false |
PubSub
Only available on the WebSocket servers.
Available methods:
| Method | Notes |
|---|---|
eth_subscribe | Maximum amount of subscriptions is configurable |
eth_subscription |
net_ Namespace
Available methods:
| Method | Notes |
|---|---|
net_version | |
net_peer_count | Always returns 0 |
net_listening | Always returns false |
web3_ Namespace
Available methods:
| Method | Notes |
|---|---|
web3_clientVersion |
debug namespace
The debug namespace gives access to several non-standard RPC methods, which will allow developers to inspect and debug calls and transactions.
This namespace is disabled by default and can be configured via setting EN_API_NAMESPACES as described in the example config.
Available methods:
| Method | Notes |
|---|---|
debug_traceBlockByNumber | |
debug_traceBlockByHash | |
debug_traceCall | |
debug_traceTransaction |
zks namespace
This namespace contains rollup-specific extensions to the Web3 API. Note that only methods specified in the documentation are considered public. There may be other methods exposed in this namespace, but undocumented methods come without any kind of stability guarantees and can be changed or removed without notice.
Always refer to the documentation linked above to see the list of stabilized methods in this namespace.
en namespace
This namespace contains methods that external nodes call on the main node while syncing. If this namespace is enabled other ENs can sync from this node.