Ethereum API method that returns the current chain ID. Chain ID is used to sign replay-protected transactions and generally verify if a network is the desired one. It was introduced in EIP-155.
Parameters
none
Response
quantity— EIP-155 Chain ID
eth_chainId code examples
eth_chainId code examplesconst Web3 = require("web3");
const NODE_URL = "CHAINSTACK_NODE_URL";
const web3 = new Web3(NODE_URL);
async function getChainId() {
const chain = await web3.eth.getChainId();
console.log(chain);
}
getChainId();
const ethers = require('ethers');
const NODE_URL = "CHAINSTACK_NODE_URL";
const provider = new ethers.JsonRpcProvider(NODE_URL);
const chainId = async () => {
// This will return the value in Hex
const chainId = await provider.send("eth_chainId");
console.log(`Hex Chain ID: ${chainId}`);
};
chainId();
from web3 import Web3
node_url = "CHAINSTACK_NODE_URL"
web3 = Web3(Web3.HTTPProvider(node_url))
print(web3.eth.chain_id)
Use case
One possible use case for the eth_chainId method in Ethereum is to determine which chain a user is connected to when using a DApp with the MetaMask browser extension. This can be useful to provide a customized user experience based on the specific chain that the user is interacting with.
Here is an example of how the eth_chainId method might be used in this context with MetaMask. Keep in mind that the Chain ID is returned as a hexadecimal value:
// Check which network is selected on MetaMask
async function checkChain() {
// Declare the desired chain ID to match
const desiredChainId = '0x1'; // Ethereum mainnet chain ID
// Retrieve the current Chain ID selected by the user
ethereum.request({
method: 'eth_chainId'
}).then(chainId => {
// compare the actual chain ID it to the declared chain ID
if (chainId !== desiredChainId) {
console.log(`You are currently on the wrong network. Please switch to the mainnet.`);
// Call the promtSwitch function
promtSwitch()
} else {
console.log("This is the correct network")
}
})
}
// Prompt user to switch to a determined network based on the chain ID
async function promtSwitch() {
await window.ethereum.request({
method: 'wallet_switchEthereumChain',
params: [{
chainId: '0x1' // chainId must be in HEX with 0x in front
}],
});
}
In this case, the checkChain function is called to get the current chain ID using the Ethereum object provided by MetaMask. The chain ID is then checked to determine if the user is connected to the Ethereum mainnet and calls the promtSwitch function to prompt the user to switch chain in case the chain ID returned does not match the desiredChainId constant.
Try the eth_chainId RPC method yourself
eth_chainId RPC method yourself