Bifrost Liquid Staking Parachain RPC Guide

Bifrost RPC
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Why Build on Bifrost?

Bifrost is Polkadot's liquid staking hub, issuing omni-chain vTokens that unlock staking liquidity while keeping rewards flowing. Builders target Bifrost because it delivers:

🌉 Omni-Chain Liquidity Routing

Staking Liquidity Protocol (SLP) mints yield-bearing vTokens (vDOT, vKSM, vETH, vFIL) that stay composable across parachains and EVM networks.
Slot Auction Liquidity Protocol (SALP) releases DOT/KSM crowdloan positions into tradable derivatives, letting users support auctions without sacrificing liquidity.
Liquid staking primitives integrate with major DeFi venues (Pendle, Loop Stake, Talisman, etc.) to optimize leverage and hedging strategies.

⚙️ Protocol-Neutral Architecture

Dedicated pallets for cross-chain execution (ISMP, CrossInOut, Hyperbridge) make it easy to bridge liquidity between Polkadot, Kusama, and external EVMs.
Governance and fee-share pallets align collators, liquidity providers, and derivative users through on-chain revenue distribution.
Runtime upgrades (v0.21.1 / specVersion 21001) focus on async backing, Hyperbridge routes, and tokenomics 2.0 for sustained reward flows.

📈 Battle-Tested Operations

Active collator set with ~6 s block time keeps derivatives in sync with relay-chain finality.
Proven SALP campaigns unlock DOT crowdloans while maintaining reward accrual.
Continuous grant support and ecosystem partnerships accelerate tooling and collateral adoption.

Quick Start with Bifrost

Connect to mainnet or the Kusama canary network in seconds using Dwellir-managed infrastructure.

🔗 RPC Endpoints

Mainnet

WSS

wss://api-bifrost-polkadot.n.dwellir.com/YOUR_API_KEY

✓ Archive Node✓ Trace API✓ Debug API✓ WebSocket

Quick Connect:

curl -X POST https://api-bifrost-polkadot.n.dwellir.com/YOUR_API_KEY \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_blockNumber","params":[],"id":1}'

Canary Environment

The Kusama deployment (Para ID 2001) runs identical pallets ahead of Polkadot releases. Use it for SALP dry-runs, Hyperbridge testing, and upgrade rehearsals before promoting to mainnet Para ID 2030.

Installation & Setup

cURL
JavaScript (polkadot.js)
Rust (subxt)
Python (py-substrate-interface)

curl https://api-bifrost-polkadot.n.dwellir.com/YOUR_API_KEY \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "id": 1,
    "method": "chain_getHeader",
    "params": []
  }'

Expected output (captured 2025-10-03):

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "result": {
    "number": "0x9055f2",
    "hash": "0xd4b3a0e3b88b7c25215926bbf7c733f5c31e69c0c8c4b4a86d6ec3f3f086e95d",
    "parentHash": "0x65b246e9b69a61f842104a15307ae906013c56a8bb6c942555b1a71424b4bab3",
    "stateRoot": "0x220ea5bd35df99176268d8cbcee287a8a81a2e8addfa764661f71af591db0329",
    "extrinsicsRoot": "0x388e5e2bb951b1dfac3f6a3f0c1d5de1ace6e413008efe48f1a54228dcd049db"
  },
  "id": 1
}

import { ApiPromise, WsProvider } from '@polkadot/api';

async function main() {
  const provider = new WsProvider('wss://api-bifrost-polkadot.n.dwellir.com/YOUR_API_KEY');
  const api = await ApiPromise.create({ provider });

  const [chain, nodeName, nodeVersion, runtime] = await Promise.all([
    api.rpc.system.chain(),
    api.rpc.system.name(),
    api.rpc.system.version(),
    api.rpc.state.getRuntimeVersion()
  ]);

  console.log(`Connected to ${chain.toString()} via ${nodeName.toString()} ${nodeVersion.toString()}`);
  console.log(`Runtime specVersion=${runtime.specVersion.toNumber()} transactionVersion=${runtime.transactionVersion.toNumber()}`);

  const header = await api.rpc.chain.getHeader();
  console.log(`Latest head #${header.number.toString()} (${header.hash.toHex()})`);

  await api.disconnect();
}

main().catch(console.error);

use subxt::{config::substrate::SubstrateConfig, OnlineClient};

#[tokio::main]
async fn main() -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
    let api = OnlineClient::<SubstrateConfig>::from_url(
        "wss://api-bifrost-polkadot.n.dwellir.com/YOUR_API_KEY"
    ).await?;

    let latest = api.rpc().header(None).await?.expect("header");
    println!("Finalized block #{}", latest.number);
    println!("State root {}", latest.state_root);

    Ok(())
}

from substrateinterface import SubstrateInterface

substrate = SubstrateInterface(
    url="wss://api-bifrost-polkadot.n.dwellir.com/YOUR_API_KEY",
    type_registry_preset="substrate-node-template"
)

latest_hash = substrate.get_chain_head()
print("Latest head:", latest_hash)

runtime = substrate.get_runtime_version()
print("specVersion:", runtime['specVersion'], "transactionVersion:", runtime['transactionVersion'])

account_info = substrate.query(
    module='System',
    storage_function='Account',
    params=['15mYsj6DpBno58jRoV5HCTiVPFBuWhDLdsWtq3LxwZrfaTEZ']
)
print("Collator free balance:", account_info.value['data']['free'])

Substrate JSON-RPC API Reference

Core Method Shortlist

Group	Purpose	Key Methods
`system_*`	Node health, metadata, peer status	`system_health`, `system_version`, `system_properties`
`chain_*`	Headers, blocks, finality tracking	`chain_getHeader`, `chain_getBlock`, `chain_subscribeNewHeads`
`state_*`	Storage queries and runtime metadata	`state_getStorage`, `state_getKeysPaged`, `state_getMetadata`
`author_*`	Extrinsic submission pipeline	`author_submitExtrinsic`, `author_pendingExtrinsics`
`grandpa_*`	Finality gadget insights	`grandpa_roundState`
`rpc_methods`	Discover supported namespaces	`rpc_methods`

Network Information

Parameter	Bifrost (Polkadot Mainnet)	Bifrost (Kusama Canary)
Relay Chain	Polkadot	Kusama
Parachain ID	2030	2001
Genesis Hash	`0x262e1b2ad728475fd6fe88e62d34c200abe6fd693931ddad144059b1eb884e5b`	`0x9f28c6a68e0fc9646eff64935684f6eeeece527e37bbe1f213d22caa1d9d6bed`
Runtime (2025-10-03)	specVersion `21001`, transactionVersion `1`	specVersion `19000`, transactionVersion `1`
Unit Symbol	BNC	BNC
Decimals	12	12
SS58 Prefix	6	6
Explorer	bifrost.subscan.io	bifrost-kusama.subscan.io
Average Block Time	~6 seconds	~6 seconds

Additional facts:

Collator rotation maintains >16 active authors with refTime utilization under 0.5% per block.
The runtime exposes specialized pallets including Hyperbridge, FlexibleFee, Farming, and Ismp for cross-ecosystem liquidity orchestration.

Common Integration Patterns

Real-Time Block Streaming

import { ApiPromise, WsProvider } from '@polkadot/api';

const provider = new WsProvider('wss://api-bifrost-polkadot.n.dwellir.com/YOUR_API_KEY');
const api = await ApiPromise.create({ provider });

api.rpc.chain.subscribeNewHeads((header) => {
  console.log(`New Bifrost block #${header.number.toString()} (${header.hash.toHex()})`);
});

Query Staking Liquidity Positions

# Read total issuance for vDOT (AssetRegistry + Tokens pallet)
curl https://api-bifrost-polkadot.n.dwellir.com/YOUR_API_KEY \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "jsonrpc":"2.0",
    "id":42,
    "method":"state_getStorage",
    "params":[
      "0x1bd4a27d04bdb9c3f135c3b09677626d26c37dd72647d0f2788a3341e9ac1371"
    ]
  }'

Estimate Fees for SALP Transfers

const api = await ApiPromise.create({ provider: new WsProvider('wss://api-bifrost-polkadot.n.dwellir.com/YOUR_API_KEY') });

const tx = api.tx.crossInOut.swapExactAssetsForAssets(
  /* asset_in */ { Xcm: { V3: { parents: 1, interior: 'Here' } } },
  /* asset_out */ { Token: 'BNC' },
  /* amount */ 1_000_000_000_000n,
  /* min_receive */ 990_000_000_000n
);

const info = await api.rpc.payment.queryInfo(tx.toHex());
console.log(`Partial fee: ${info.partialFee.toHuman()}`);
console.log(`Weight: ${info.weight.refTime.toString()} refTime`);

Performance Best Practices

Prefer WebSocket endpoints for subscriptions and long-lived queries; use HTTPS for bursty read-only workloads.
Cache runtime metadata and type registries keyed by specVersion (Polkadot 21001, Kusama 19000 as of 2025-10-03) to avoid repeated handshakes.
Use state_getKeysPaged with sized pages (<1024 keys) when scanning liquidity pools or reward ledgers.
Pin to finalized heads for settlement-critical reads; leverage chain_getFinalizedHead before fetching block data.
Implement jittered reconnect backoff (250 ms → 8 s) to respect Dwellir rate limiting during failover events.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely Cause	Resolution
`1010: Invalid Transaction` when submitting vToken extrinsics	Runtime upgrade bumped `specVersion`/`transactionVersion`	Refresh metadata, rebuild the payload, and resubmit with the updated version info
`Invalid SS58 address` errors	Using Polkadot prefix (`0`) for Bifrost accounts	Re-derive addresses with SS58 prefix `6` before signing or decoding
`TypeError: Cannot decode storage`	Missing custom pallets (Hyperbridge, FlexibleFee) in type registry	Extend your type bundle with the latest Bifrost runtime metadata
Persistent WebSocket disconnects	Idle connection without keep-alives	Send periodic heartbeats (e.g., `rpc_methods`) or enable `WsProvider` autoConnect
`Authoring not allowed for account` on collator nodes	Rotate keys not submitted after upgrade	Call `author_rotateKeys` and `parachainStaking.setKeys` on the canary network, then on mainnet

Smoke Tests

Run these checks before pushing to production:

Node health

curl https://api-bifrost-polkadot.n.dwellir.com/YOUR_API_KEY \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"system_health","params":[]}'

Verify isSyncing is false and peer count stays above 8.

Latest header increments

curl https://api-bifrost-polkadot.n.dwellir.com/YOUR_API_KEY \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":2,"method":"chain_getHeader","params":[]}'

Confirm block numbers advance ~every 6 seconds (e.g., #9,053,714 at 2025-10-03 07:42:18 UTC).

Account snapshot

curl https://api-bifrost-polkadot.n.dwellir.com/YOUR_API_KEY \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":3,"method":"state_getStorage","params":["0x26aa394eea5630e07c48ae0c9558cef7f0d3720dbb6f7b3bb82b41c16dbf8d0887f21b38c918a1962fa4273d0f3c2c23244cc25f029aba80a72f1ac277957bc4"]}'

Decode the SCALE payload to check BNC balances (collator 15mYsj6…TEZ shows active staking reserves).

Migration Guide (Polkadot/Westend → Bifrost)

Endpoints: Swap legacy Polkadot URLs for https://api-bifrost-polkadot.n.dwellir.com/YOUR_API_KEY. Use the Kusama canary endpoint for staging.
Address encoding: Update wallets and services to SS58 prefix 6 for Bifrost accounts.
Metadata: Refresh runtime metadata whenever specVersion changes (currently 21001 on Polkadot, 19000 on Kusama). Update custom pallets (Hyperbridge, FlexibleFee, SALP) in your type registry.
Fee estimation: Run payment_queryInfo for vToken transfers; Bifrost’s flexible-fee pallet introduces dynamic surcharge multipliers.
Pallet coverage: Check rpc_methods after upgrades to discover new bifrost_* runtime APIs (e.g., omnipool analytics, Hyperbridge routing).

Resources & Tools

Bifrost network explorer — bifrost.subscan.io
Bifrost GitHub releases and runtime notes — github.com/bifrost-io/bifrost/releases
Dwellir Dashboard — dashboard.dwellir.com/register
Community updates & integration stories — parachains.info/details/bifrost_finance_polkadot

Plan your integration, mint liquidity-backed vTokens, and rely on Dwellir’s globally distributed RPC edge to keep your Bifrost workloads online.

Why Build on Bifrost?​

🌉 Omni-Chain Liquidity Routing​

⚙️ Protocol-Neutral Architecture​

📈 Battle-Tested Operations​

Quick Start with Bifrost​

🔗 RPC Endpoints

Installation & Setup​

Substrate JSON-RPC API Reference​

Core Method Shortlist​

Network Information​

Common Integration Patterns​

Real-Time Block Streaming​

Query Staking Liquidity Positions​

Estimate Fees for SALP Transfers​

Performance Best Practices​

Troubleshooting​

Smoke Tests​

Migration Guide (Polkadot/Westend → Bifrost)​

Resources & Tools​