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Flow Access API Specification

The Access API is implemented as a gRPC service.

A language-agnostic specification for this API is defined using Protocol Buffers, which can be used to generate client libraries in a variety of programming languages.

Flow access node endpoints​

The Access Nodes hosted by DapperLabs are accessible at:

NetworkGRPCWeb GRPCREST
Mainnetaccess.mainnet.nodes.onflow.org:9000mainnet.onflow.orgmainnet.onflow.org
Sandboxnetaccess.sandboxnet.nodes.onflow.org:9000sandboxnet.onflow.orgsandboxnet.onflow.org
Testnetaccess.devnet.nodes.onflow.org:9000testnet.onflow.orgtestnet.onflow.org

Mainnet​

We are still in the process of aggregating the past chain data but mainnet 5 to mainnet 1 spork data can be retrieved from the Access nodes mentioned here​

Production network where the Flow blockchain is running. Funds are at risk.

Sandboxnet​

Sandboxnet mirrors mainnet and is sporked a day after the mainnet spork. It is used for testing and development.

Testnet​

Our test environment. Funds can be fauceted freely. It is sporked 2 weeks prior to mainnet.

Rate limits for Dapper Labs access nodes​

Access nodes operated by Dapper Labs are rate limited.

Ping​

Ping will return a successful response if the Access API is ready and available.


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rpc Ping(PingRequest) returns (PingResponse)

If a ping request returns an error or times out, it can be assumed that the Access API is unavailable.

Request​


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message PingRequest {}

Response​


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message PingResponse {}

Block Headers​

The following methods query information about block headers.

GetLatestBlockHeader​

GetLatestBlockHeader gets the latest sealed or unsealed block header.


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rpc GetLatestBlockHeader (GetLatestBlockHeaderRequest) returns (BlockHeaderResponse)

Request​


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message GetLatestBlockHeaderRequest {
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bool is_sealed
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}

Response​


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message BlockHeaderResponse {
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flow.BlockHeader block
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flow.BlockStatus block_status
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}

GetBlockHeaderByID​

GetBlockHeaderByID gets a block header by ID.


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rpc GetBlockHeaderByID (GetBlockHeaderByIDRequest) returns (BlockHeaderResponse)

Request​


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message GetBlockHeaderByIDRequest {
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bytes id
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}

Response​


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message BlockHeaderResponse {
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flow.BlockHeader block
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flow.BlockStatus block_status
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}

GetBlockHeaderByHeight​

GetBlockHeaderByHeight gets a block header by height.


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rpc GetBlockHeaderByHeight (GetBlockHeaderByHeightRequest) returns (BlockHeaderResponse)

Request​


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message GetBlockHeaderByHeightRequest {
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uint64 height
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}

Response​


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message BlockHeaderResponse {
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flow.BlockHeader block
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flow.BlockStatus block_status
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}

Blocks​

The following methods query information about full blocks.

GetLatestBlock​

GetLatestBlock gets the full payload of the latest sealed or unsealed block.


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rpc GetLatestBlock (GetLatestBlockRequest) returns (BlockResponse)

Request​


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message GetLatestBlockRequest {
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bool is_sealed
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}

Response​


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message BlockResponse {
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flow.Block block
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flow.BlockStatus block_status
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}

GetBlockByID​

GetBlockByID gets a full block by ID.


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rpc GetBlockByID (GetBlockByIDRequest) returns (BlockResponse)

Request​


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message GetBlockByIDRequest {
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bytes id
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}

Response​


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message BlockResponse {
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flow.Block block
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flow.BlockStatus block_status
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}

GetBlockByHeight​

GetBlockByHeight gets a full block by height.


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rpc GetBlockByHeight (GetBlockByHeightRequest) returns (BlockResponse)

Request​


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message GetBlockByHeightRequest {
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uint64 height
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}

Response​


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message BlockResponse {
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flow.Block block
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flow.BlockStatus block_status
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}

Collections​

The following methods query information about collections.

GetCollectionByID​

GetCollectionByID gets a collection by ID.


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rpc GetCollectionByID (GetCollectionByIDRequest) returns (CollectionResponse)

Request​


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message GetCollectionByIDRequest {
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bytes id
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}

Response​


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message CollectionResponse {
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flow.Collection collection
_10
}

Transactions​

The following methods can be used to submit transactions and fetch their results.

SendTransaction​

SendTransaction submits a transaction to the network.


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rpc SendTransaction (SendTransactionRequest) returns (SendTransactionResponse)

SendTransaction determines the correct cluster of collection nodes that is responsible for collecting the transaction based on the hash of the transaction and forwards the transaction to that cluster.

Request​

SendTransactionRequest message contains the transaction that is being request to be executed.


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message SendTransactionRequest {
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flow.Transaction transaction
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}

Response​

SendTransactionResponse message contains the ID of the submitted transaction.


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message SendTransactionResponse {
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bytes id
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}

GetTransaction​

GetTransaction gets a transaction by ID.

If the transaction is not found in the access node cache, the request is forwarded to a collection node.

Currently, only transactions within the current epoch can be queried.


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rpc GetTransaction (GetTransactionRequest) returns (TransactionResponse)

Request​

GetTransactionRequest contains the ID of the transaction that is being queried.


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message GetTransactionRequest {
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bytes id
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}

Response​

TransactionResponse contains the basic information about a transaction, but does not include post-execution results.


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message TransactionResponse {
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flow.Transaction transaction
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}

GetTransactionResult​

GetTransactionResult gets the execution result of a transaction.


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rpc GetTransactionResult (GetTransactionRequest) returns (TransactionResultResponse)

Request​


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message GetTransactionRequest {
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bytes id
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}

Response​


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message TransactionResultResponse {
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flow.TransactionStatus status
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uint32 status_code
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string error_message
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repeated flow.Event events
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}

Accounts​

GetAccount​

GetAccount gets an account by address at the latest sealed block.

⚠️ Warning: this function is deprecated. It behaves identically to GetAccountAtLatestBlock and will be removed in a future version.


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rpc GetAccount(GetAccountRequest) returns (GetAccountResponse)

Request​


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message GetAccountRequest {
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bytes address
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}

Response​


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message GetAccountResponse {
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Account account
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}

GetAccountAtLatestBlock​

GetAccountAtLatestBlock gets an account by address.

The access node queries an execution node for the account details, which are stored as part of the sealed execution state.


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rpc GetAccountAtLatestBlock(GetAccountAtLatestBlockRequest) returns (AccountResponse)

Request​


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message GetAccountAtLatestBlockRequest {
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bytes address
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}

Response​


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message AccountResponse {
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Account account
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}

GetAccountAtBlockHeight​

GetAccountAtBlockHeight gets an account by address at the given block height.

The access node queries an execution node for the account details, which are stored as part of the execution state.


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rpc GetAccountAtBlockHeight(GetAccountAtBlockHeightRequest) returns (AccountResponse)

Request​


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message GetAccountAtBlockHeightRequest {
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bytes address
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uint64 block_height
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}

Response​


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message AccountResponse {
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Account account
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}

Scripts​

ExecuteScriptAtLatestBlock​

ExecuteScriptAtLatestBlock executes a read-only Cadence script against the latest sealed execution state.

This method can be used to read execution state from the blockchain. The script is executed on an execution node and the return value is encoded using the JSON-Cadence data interchange format.


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rpc ExecuteScriptAtLatestBlock (ExecuteScriptAtLatestBlockRequest) returns (ExecuteScriptResponse)

This method is a shortcut for the following:


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header = GetLatestBlockHeader()
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value = ExecuteScriptAtBlockID(header.ID, script)

Request​


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message ExecuteScriptAtLatestBlockRequest {
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bytes script
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}

Response​


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message ExecuteScriptResponse {
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bytes value
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}

ExecuteScriptAtBlockID​

ExecuteScriptAtBlockID executes a ready-only Cadence script against the execution state at the block with the given ID.

This method can be used to read account state from the blockchain. The script is executed on an execution node and the return value is encoded using the JSON-Cadence data interchange format.


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rpc ExecuteScriptAtBlockID (ExecuteScriptAtBlockIDRequest) returns (ExecuteScriptResponse)

Request​


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message ExecuteScriptAtBlockIDRequest {
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bytes block_id
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bytes script
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}

Response​


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message ExecuteScriptResponse {
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bytes value
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}

ExecuteScriptAtBlockHeight​

ExecuteScriptAtBlockHeight executes a ready-only Cadence script against the execution state at the given block height.

This method can be used to read account state from the blockchain. The script is executed on an execution node and the return value is encoded using the JSON-Cadence data interchange format.


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rpc ExecuteScriptAtBlockHeight (ExecuteScriptAtBlockHeightRequest) returns (ExecuteScriptResponse)

Request​


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message ExecuteScriptAtBlockHeightRequest {
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uint64 block_height
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bytes script
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}

Response​


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message ExecuteScriptResponse {
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bytes value
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}

Events​

The following methods can be used to query for on-chain events.

GetEventsForHeightRange​

GetEventsForHeightRange retrieves events emitted within the specified block range.


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rpc GetEventsForHeightRange(GetEventsForHeightRangeRequest) returns (GetEventsForHeightRangeResponse)

Events can be requested for a specific sealed block range via the start_height and end_height (inclusive) fields and further filtered by event type via the type field.

If start_height is greater than the current sealed chain height, then this method will return an error.

If end_height is greater than the current sealed chain height, then this method will return events up to and including the latest sealed block.

The event results are grouped by block, with each group specifying a block ID, height and block timestamp.

Event types are name-spaced with the address of the account and contract in which they are declared.

Request​


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message GetEventsForHeightRangeRequest {
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string type
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uint64 start_height = 2;
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uint64 end_height = 3;
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}

Response​


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message EventsResponse {
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message Result {
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bytes block_id = 1;
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uint64 block_height = 2;
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repeated entities.Event events = 3;
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google.protobuf.Timestamp block_timestamp = 4;
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}
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repeated Result results = 1;
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}

GetEventsForBlockIDs​

GetEventsForBlockIDs retrieves events for the specified block IDs and event type.


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rpc GetEventsForBlockIDs(GetEventsForBlockIDsRequest) returns (GetEventsForBlockIDsResponse)

Events can be requested for a list of block IDs via the block_ids field and further filtered by event type via the type field.

The event results are grouped by block, with each group specifying a block ID, height and block timestamp.

Request​


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message GetEventsForBlockIDsRequest {
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string type = 1;
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repeated bytes block_ids = 2;
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}

Response​


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message EventsResponse {
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message Result {
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bytes block_id = 1;
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uint64 block_height = 2;
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repeated entities.Event events = 3;
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google.protobuf.Timestamp block_timestamp = 4;
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}
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repeated Result results = 1;
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}

Network Parameters​

Network parameters provide information about the Flow network. Currently, it only includes the chain ID. The following method can be used to query for network parameters.

GetNetworkParameters​

GetNetworkParameters retrieves the network parameters.


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rpc GetNetworkParameters (GetNetworkParametersRequest) returns (GetNetworkParametersResponse)

Request​


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message GetNetworkParametersRequest {}

Response​


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message GetNetworkParametersResponse {
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string chain_id = 1;
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}

FieldDescription
chain_idChain ID helps identify the Flow network. It can be one of flow-mainnet, flow-testnet or flow-emulator

Protocol state snapshot​

The following method can be used to query the latest protocol state snapshot.

GetLatestProtocolStateSnapshotRequest​

GetLatestProtocolStateSnapshotRequest retrieves the latest Protocol state snapshot serialized as a byte array. It is used by Flow nodes joining the network to bootstrap a space-efficient local state.


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rpc GetLatestProtocolStateSnapshot (GetLatestProtocolStateSnapshotRequest) returns (ProtocolStateSnapshotResponse);

Request​


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message GetLatestProtocolStateSnapshotRequest {}

Response​


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message ProtocolStateSnapshotResponse {
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bytes serializedSnapshot = 1;
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}

Execution results​

The following method can be used to query the for execution results for a given block.

GetExecutionResultForBlockID​

GetExecutionResultForBlockID retrieves execution result for given block. It is different from Transaction Results, and contain data about chunks/collection level execution results rather than particular transactions. Particularly, it contains EventsCollection hash for every chunk which can be used to verify the events for a block.


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rpc GetExecutionResultForBlockID(GetExecutionResultForBlockIDRequest) returns (ExecutionResultForBlockIDResponse);

Request​


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message GetExecutionResultForBlockIDRequest {
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bytes block_id = 1;
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}

Response​


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message ExecutionResultForBlockIDResponse {
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flow.ExecutionResult execution_result = 1;
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}

Entities​

Below are in-depth descriptions of each of the data entities returned or accepted by the Access API.

Block​


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message Block {
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bytes id
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bytes parent_id
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uint64 height
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google.protobuf.Timestamp timestamp
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repeated CollectionGuarantee collection_guarantees
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repeated BlockSeal block_seals
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repeated bytes signatures
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}

FieldDescription
idSHA3-256 hash of the entire block payload
heightHeight of the block in the chain
parent_idID of the previous block in the chain
timestampTimestamp of when the proposer claims it constructed the block.
NOTE: It is included by the proposer, there are no guarantees on how much the time stamp can deviate from the true time the block was published.
Consider observing blocks' status changes yourself to get a more reliable value.
collection_guaranteesList of collection guarantees
block_sealsList of block seals
signaturesBLS signatures of consensus nodes

The detailed semantics of block formation are covered in the block formation guide.

Block Header​

A block header is a summary of a block and contains only the block ID, height, and parent block ID.


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message BlockHeader {
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bytes id
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bytes parent_id
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uint64 height
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}

FieldDescription
idSHA3-256 hash of the entire block payload
parent_idID of the previous block in the chain
heightHeight of the block in the chain

Block Seal​

A block seal is an attestation that the execution result of a specific block has been verified and approved by a quorum of verification nodes.


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message BlockSeal {
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bytes block_id
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bytes execution_receipt_id
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repeated bytes execution_receipt_signatures
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repeated bytes result_approval_signatures
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}

FieldDescription
block_idID of the block being sealed
execution_receipt_idID execution receipt being sealed
execution_receipt_signaturesBLS signatures of verification nodes on the execution receipt contents
result_approval_signaturesBLS signatures of verification nodes on the result approval contents

Block Status​


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enum BlockStatus {
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UNKNOWN = 0;
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FINALIZED = 1;
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SEALED = 2;
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}

ValueDescription
UNKNOWNThe block status is not known.
FINALIZEDThe consensus nodes have finalized the block
SEALEDThe verification nodes have verified the block

Collection​

A collection is a batch of transactions that have been included in a block. Collections are used to improve consensus throughput by increasing the number of transactions per block.


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message Collection {
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bytes id
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repeated bytes transaction_ids
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}

FieldDescription
idSHA3-256 hash of the collection contents
transaction_idsOrdered list of transaction IDs in the collection

Collection Guarantee​

A collection guarantee is a signed attestation that specifies the collection nodes that have guaranteed to store and respond to queries about a collection.


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message CollectionGuarantee {
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bytes collection_id
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repeated bytes signatures
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}

FieldDescription
collection_idSHA3-256 hash of the collection contents
signaturesBLS signatures of the collection nodes guaranteeing the collection

Transaction​

A transaction represents a unit of computation that is submitted to the Flow network.


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message Transaction {
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bytes script
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repeated bytes arguments
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bytes reference_block_id
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uint64 gas_limit
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TransactionProposalKey proposal_key
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bytes payer
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repeated bytes authorizers
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repeated TransactionSignature payload_signatures
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repeated TransactionSignature envelope_signatures
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}
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message TransactionProposalKey {
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bytes address
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uint32 key_id
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uint64 sequence_number
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}
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message TransactionSignature {
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bytes address
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uint32 key_id
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bytes signature
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}

FieldDescription
scriptRaw source code for a Cadence script, encoded as UTF-8 bytes
argumentsArguments passed to the Cadence script, encoded as JSON-Cadence bytes
reference_block_idBlock ID used to determine transaction expiry
proposal_keyAccount key used to propose the transaction
payerAddress of the payer account
authorizersAddresses of the transaction authorizers
signaturesSignatures from all signer accounts

The detailed semantics of transaction creation, signing and submission are covered in the transaction submission guide.

Proposal Key​

The proposal key is used to specify a sequence number for the transaction. Sequence numbers are covered in more detail here.

FieldDescription
addressAddress of proposer account
key_idID of proposal key on the proposal account
sequence_numberSequence number for the proposal key

Transaction Signature​

FieldDescription
addressAddress of the account for this signature
key_idID of the account key
signatureRaw signature byte data

Transaction Status​


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enum TransactionStatus {
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UNKNOWN = 0;
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PENDING = 1;
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FINALIZED = 2;
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EXECUTED = 3;
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SEALED = 4;
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EXPIRED = 5;
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}

ValueDescription
UNKNOWNThe transaction status is not known.
PENDINGThe transaction has been received by a collector but not yet finalized in a block.
FINALIZEDThe consensus nodes have finalized the block that the transaction is included in
EXECUTEDThe execution nodes have produced a result for the transaction
SEALEDThe verification nodes have verified the transaction (the block in which the transaction is) and the seal is included in the latest block
EXPIREDThe transaction was submitted past its expiration block height.

Account​

An account is a user's identity on Flow. It contains a unique address, a balance, a list of public keys and the code that has been deployed to the account.


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message Account {
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bytes address
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uint64 balance
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bytes code
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repeated AccountKey keys
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map<string, bytes> contracts
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}

FieldDescription
addressA unique account identifier
balanceThe account balance
codeThe code deployed to this account (deprecated, use contracts instead)
keysA list of keys configured on this account
contractsA map of contracts or contract interfaces deployed on this account

The code and contracts fields contain the raw Cadence source code, encoded as UTF-8 bytes.

More information on accounts can be found here.

Account Key​

An account key is a reference to a public key associated with a Flow account. Accounts can be configured with zero or more public keys, each of which can be used for signature verification when authorizing a transaction.


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message AccountKey {
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uint32 id
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bytes public_key
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uint32 sign_algo
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uint32 hash_algo
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uint32 weight
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uint32 sequence_number
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bool revoked
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}

FieldDescription
idIndex of the key within the account, used as a unique identifier
public_keyPublic key encoded as bytes
sign_algoSignature algorithm
hash_algoHash algorithm
weightWeight assigned to the key
sequence_numberSequence number for the key
revokedFlag indicating whether or not the key has been revoked

More information on account keys, key weights and sequence numbers can be found here.

Event​

An event is emitted as the result of a transaction execution. Events are either user-defined events originating from a Cadence smart contract, or built-in Flow system events.


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message Event {
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string type
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bytes transaction_id
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uint32 transaction_index
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uint32 event_index
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bytes payload
_10
}

FieldDescription
typeFully-qualified unique type identifier for the event
transaction_idID of the transaction the event was emitted from
transaction_indexZero-based index of the transaction within the block
event_indexZero-based index of the event within the transaction
payloadEvent fields encoded as JSON-Cadence values

Execution Result​

Execution result for a particular block.


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message ExecutionResult {
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bytes previous_result_id
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bytes block_id
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repeated Chunk chunks
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repeated ServiceEvent service_events
_10
}

FieldDescription
previous_result_idIdentifier of parent block execution result
block_idID of the block this execution result corresponds to
chunksZero or more chunks
service_eventsZero or more service events

Chunk​

Chunk described execution information for given collection in a block


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message Chunk {
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bytes start_state
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bytes event_collection
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bytes block_id
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uint64 total_computation_used
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uint64 number_of_transactions
_10
uint64 index
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bytes end_state
_10
}

FieldDescription
start_stateState commitment at start of the chunk
event_collectionHash of events emitted by transactions in this chunk
block_idIdentifier of a block
total_computation_usedTotal computation used by transactions in this chunk
number_of_transactionsNumber of transactions in a chunk
indexIndex of chunk inside a block (zero-based)
end_stateState commitment after executing chunk

Service Event​

Special type of events emitted in system chunk used for controlling Flow system.


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message ServiceEvent {
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string type;
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bytes payload;
_10
}

FieldDescription
typeType of an event
payloadJSON-serialized content of an event