> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.chainstack.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

<AgentInstructions>

## Submitting Feedback

If you encounter incorrect, outdated, or confusing documentation on this page, submit feedback:

POST https://docs.chainstack.com/feedback

```json
{
  "path": "/reference/base-call",
  "feedback": "Description of the issue"
}
```

Only submit feedback when you have something specific and actionable to report.

</AgentInstructions>

# eth_call | Base

The example is a call to the `balanceOf` method on the [USDC contract.](https://basescan.org/address/0x833589fcd6edb6e08f4c7c32d4f71b54bda02913).

Base API method `eth_call` executes a smart contract function call directly and returns the result without requiring a transaction or changing the state on the blockchain. This method is widely used for reading data from smart contracts.

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## Parameters

* `transactionObject` — an object containing transaction parameters, including:
  * `to` — the address of the contract to call.
  * `data` — the call data, typically including the function signature and parameters.
* `blockParameter` — a string specifying the block number (in hexadecimal) or one of the strings `"earliest"`, `"latest"`, or `"pending"`, indicating the blockchain state to use for the call. Most commonly, `"latest"` is used.

## Response

* `result` — the result of the call, encoded as a hexadecimal string. The format of the result depends on the function called.

## Use case

The `eth_call` method is essential for:

* DApps that need to retrieve state or compute derived values from smart contracts without making a transaction.
* Wallets and interfaces that display contract information, such as token balances or the state of a decentralized finance (DeFi) contract.
* Automated scripts and bots that monitor contract states or conditions on the blockchain.


## OpenAPI

````yaml /openapi/base_node_api/eth_call.json POST /2fc1de7f08c0465f6a28e3c355e0cb14
openapi: 3.0.0
info:
  title: eth_call example
  version: 1.0.0
  description: >-
    This is an API example for eth_call, a method to execute a new message call
    immediately without creating a  transaction on the block chain.
servers:
  - url: https://base-mainnet.core.chainstack.com
security: []
paths:
  /2fc1de7f08c0465f6a28e3c355e0cb14:
    post:
      tags:
        - Ethereum Operations
      summary: eth_call
      operationId: call
      requestBody:
        required: true
        content:
          application/json:
            schema:
              type: object
              properties:
                jsonrpc:
                  type: string
                  default: '2.0'
                method:
                  type: string
                  default: eth_call
                id:
                  type: integer
                  default: 1
                params:
                  type: array
                  items:
                    anyOf:
                      - type: object
                        properties:
                          to:
                            type: string
                            default: '0x833589fcd6edb6e08f4c7c32d4f71b54bda02913'
                          data:
                            type: string
                            default: >-
                              0x70a082310000000000000000000000001985ea6e9c68e1c272d8209f3b478ac2fdb25c87
                      - type: string
                        default: latest
                  default:
                    - to: '0x833589fcd6edb6e08f4c7c32d4f71b54bda02913'
                      data: >-
                        0x70a082310000000000000000000000001985ea6e9c68e1c272d8209f3b478ac2fdb25c87
                    - latest
      responses:
        '200':
          description: The result of the call
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                type: object
                properties:
                  jsonrpc:
                    type: string
                  id:
                    type: integer
                  result:
                    type: string

````