Docs

system_name - Hydration RPC Method

Get the node implementation name on Hydration. Identify the client software powering your node for diagnostics, compatibility checks, and infrastructure management.

Returns the node implementation name on Hydration. This identifies the client software running the node (e.g., "Parity Polkadot", "Substrate Node", "Astar Collator").

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When to Use This Method

system_name is essential for DeFi developers, liquidity providers, and DAOs requiring capital-efficient trading:

  • Client Identification -- Determine which Substrate client implementation your node is running (useful when multiple implementations exist)
  • Infrastructure Monitoring -- Track client types across your validator or collator fleet on Hydration
  • Bug Reports and Diagnostics -- Include client implementation details when reporting issues for single-sided liquidity provision, cross-chain trading (SOL, KSM, tBTC), and HOLLAR decentralized stablecoin
  • Compatibility Checks -- Verify that the node implementation supports features required by your application

Code Examples

Common Use Cases

1. Full Node Identity Report

Gather complete node identity details in a single call:

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

async function getNodeIdentity(endpoint) {
  const provider = new WsProvider(endpoint);
  const api = await ApiPromise.create({ provider });

  const [name, version, chain] = await Promise.all([
    api.rpc.system.name(),
    api.rpc.system.version(),
    api.rpc.system.chain()
  ]);

  const identity = {
    implementation: name.toString(),
    version: version.toString(),
    chain: chain.toString(),
    endpoint
  };

  await api.disconnect();
  return identity;
}

// Example output:
// { implementation: "Parity Polkadot", version: "0.9.43-ba6af17", chain: "Polkadot", endpoint: "..." }

2. Infrastructure Audit Across Nodes

Audit client implementations across a fleet of Hydration nodes:

JavaScript
async function auditFleetClients(endpoints) {
  const results = await Promise.all(
    endpoints.map(async (endpoint) => {
      try {
        const provider = new WsProvider(endpoint);
        const api = await ApiPromise.create({ provider });
        const name = await api.rpc.system.name();
        const version = await api.rpc.system.version();
        await api.disconnect();
        return { endpoint, client: name.toString(), version: version.toString(), status: 'ok' };
      } catch (error) {
        return { endpoint, client: null, version: null, status: 'unreachable' };
      }
    })
  );

  // Group by client implementation
  const byClient = {};
  for (const node of results) {
    if (node.client) {
      byClient[node.client] = byClient[node.client] || [];
      byClient[node.client].push(node);
    }
  }

  console.log('Client distribution:', Object.keys(byClient).map(
    (k) => `${k}: ${byClient[k].length} nodes`
  ));

  return results;
}

3. Connection Health Check with Client Info

Include client implementation in health-check responses:

JavaScript
async function healthCheckWithClientInfo(api) {
  try {
    const name = await api.rpc.system.name();
    const version = await api.rpc.system.version();
    const chain = await api.rpc.system.chain();

    return {
      healthy: true,
      client: `${name.toString()} v${version.toString()}`,
      chain: chain.toString(),
      checkedAt: new Date().toISOString()
    };
  } catch (error) {
    return {
      healthy: false,
      error: error.message,
      checkedAt: new Date().toISOString()
    };
  }
}

Error Handling

Common errors and solutions:

Error CodeDescriptionSolution
-32603Internal errorNode may be starting up -- retry after delay
-32005Rate limit exceededReduce request frequency or implement client-side rate limiting
Connection refusedNode unreachableVerify the RPC endpoint URL and that the node is running