chainSpec_v1_genesisHash - Bittensor RPC Method

Returns the genesis block hash as defined in the chain specification. The genesis hash is a unique identifier for a Substrate-based chain and is used during transaction signing, network verification, and multi-chain client configuration. On Bittensor mainnet this value is fixed and never changes.

Parameters

None.

Response

Code Examples

Use Cases

• Network verification -- Confirm that the RPC endpoint is serving Bittensor mainnet by comparing the genesis hash against the known value. This prevents accidental transactions on the wrong network.
• Transaction signing -- The genesis hash is a required component of the signed extrinsic payload. An incorrect value causes BadProof errors.
• Multi-chain routing -- In applications that connect to multiple Substrate chains, use the genesis hash to identify which chain a connection belongs to.
• Client initialization -- Configure client libraries (like @polkadot/api) with the genesis hash to enable proper address encoding and transaction construction.

Notes

• This method is part of the new JSON-RPC v2 chainSpec namespace alongside chainSpec_v1_chainName and chainSpec_v1_properties.
• The genesis hash is immutable and can be safely cached indefinitely.
• This method is available on most node configurations including public RPC endpoints.

Related Methods

• chainSpec_v1_properties -- Get chain properties (SS58 prefix, token symbol, decimals)
• archive_v1_genesisHash -- Get genesis hash via the archive namespace
• chain_getBlockHash -- Legacy method; pass 0 to get the genesis hash
• system_properties -- Legacy method for chain properties