JSON-RPC Relay and State Queries

Overview

Hedera’s JSON-RPC relay provides compatibility with standard Ethereum JSON-RPC methods but is tailored to Hedera’s unique architecture and state management model. This page outlines key differences and practical guidance for developers adding smart contract functionality to Hedera-native applications. The content emphasizes adapting workflows for Hedera's consensus-driven model, understanding JSON-RPC’s behavior on Hedera, and leveraging tools like mirror nodes effectively.

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Key Differences in JSON-RPC Behavior on Hedera

Hedera’s JSON-RPC relay acts as a compatibility layer, enabling EVM-based tooling to interact with Hedera. While it mirrors the standard Ethereum JSON-RPC API structure, its behavior reflects Hedera’s unique architecture:

Feature	Hedera	Ethereum
State Management	No Merkle Patricia Trie. For RPC block data requests, it returns the root hash of an empty Merkle trie.	Uses a Merkle Patricia Trie for stateRoot, enabling direct historical state verification.
Historical Data	Use mirror nodes to retrieve historical events, balances, and transaction details.	Historical data can be queried directly using Ethereum RPC methods like eth_getBlockByNumber.
Testing Features	Does not support contract snapshot features.	Supports snapshots for fast and modular testing.

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Contract Interactions

• Use methods like eth_call and eth_sendTransaction to interact with deployed contracts via the JSON-RPC relay.

• Fetch historical states or balances using mirror node REST APIs, as Hedera does not use a Merkle Patricia Trie.

Example

eth_call Request

curl -X POST \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{
          "jsonrpc": "2.0",
          "method": "eth_call",
          "params": [
              {
                  "to": "0x1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef12345678", 
                  "data": "0x6d4ce63c"
              },
              "latest"
          ],
          "id": 1
     }' \
     https://testnet.hashio.io/api

Querying historical balances

curl -X GET \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     "https://testnet.mirrornode.hedera.com/api/v1/accounts/0.0.123/balances?timestamp=1672549200"

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Additional Resources

• Mirror Node REST API Documentation

• JSON-RPC Methods on Hedera