chain_getHeader - JSON-RPC Method

Description

Returns the header for a given block hash or, if no parameter is supplied, the header of the latest block on Enjin Matrix. Headers include the parent hash, state root, extrinsics root, digest logs, and block number, which are key inputs for light clients and monitoring systems.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
blockHash	string	No	Hex-encoded block hash. When omitted, returns the best header

Returns

Field	Type	Description
parentHash	string	Hash of the parent block
number	string	Block height encoded in hexadecimal
stateRoot	string	Merkle root of the runtime state
extrinsicsRoot	string	Root hash of extrinsics in the block
digest	object	Consensus digest logs emitted for the block

Request Example

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "chain_getHeader",
  "params": [
    "0x1873093eade39aa409f64537dd972c27156e4691fc0fda227a06d50c52ad5fef"
  ],
  "id": 1
}

Response Example

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "result": {
    "parentHash": "0xa0ac758e5eb9d474245a06c00882946b5d98c8e1cb5873c5f8234da327fe6c47",
    "number": "0x677b8e",
    "stateRoot": "0x55105740c8eb8345869fd67d71865eb7db7ccb6c548a172d5232809f2ae77f36",
    "extrinsicsRoot": "0x20ab30742968157af9eb59115f3f4e74bb67094ab771d9bd8236a7b237738308",
    "digest": {
      "logs": [
        "0x0661757261201c957a1100000000",
        "0x0452505352903348cf386b6588edc1bda1b86f19fc667872bba3d14813dc925dbedc414464190226ed02"
      ]
    }
  },
  "id": 1
}

Code Examples

cURL

curl https://api-enjin-matrixchain.n.dwellir.com/YOUR_API_KEY \
  -X POST \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "method": "chain_getHeader",
    "params": ["0x1873093eade39aa409f64537dd972c27156e4691fc0fda227a06d50c52ad5fef"],
    "id": 1
  }'

JavaScript

async function getHeader(blockHash) {
  const body = {
    jsonrpc: '2.0',
    method: 'chain_getHeader',
    params: blockHash ? [blockHash] : [],
    id: 1
  };

  const response = await fetch('https://api-enjin-matrixchain.n.dwellir.com/YOUR_API_KEY', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
    body: JSON.stringify(body)
  });

  const { result } = await response.json();
  return result;
}

Python

import json
import requests

payload = {
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "method": "chain_getHeader",
    "params": [],  # omit to fetch the latest header
    "id": 1,
}

latest_header = requests.post(
    "https://api-enjin-matrixchain.n.dwellir.com/YOUR_API_KEY",
    headers={"Content-Type": "application/json"},
    data=json.dumps(payload),
    timeout=10,
).json()["result"]

print(int(latest_header["number"], 16))

Usage Tips

• Store the header hash and number together to cross-check finality versus heads from other nodes.
• Digest logs include Aura slot and GRANDPA justification hints—parse them when debugging consensus.
• Pair with chain_getBlock to retrieve full extrinsic payloads when deeper inspection is required.