author_rotateKeys

Generate a new set of session keys on Moonbase Alpha. This method creates fresh cryptographic keys for validator operations and stores them in the node's keystore. The returned keys must be registered on-chain via session.setKeys.

Use Cases

• Validator setup - Generate initial session keys for EVM dApp testing, XCM integration validation, and pre-mainnet deployment verification
• Key rotation - Periodically rotate keys for security best practices
• Recovery - Generate new keys after potential key compromise

Parameters

This method takes no parameters.

Returns

Field	Type	Description
result	Bytes	Concatenated SCALE-encoded public keys for all session key types

Code Examples

cURL

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

JavaScript

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

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

// Generate new session keys
const keys = await api.rpc.author.rotateKeys();
console.log('New session keys:', keys.toHex());

// These keys need to be registered on-chain:
// api.tx.session.setKeys(keys, proof)

await api.disconnect();

Python

import requests

url = 'https://api-moonbase-alpha.n.dwellir.com/YOUR_API_KEY'
payload = {
    'jsonrpc': '2.0',
    'method': 'author_rotateKeys',
    'params': [],
    'id': 1
}

response = requests.post(url, json=payload)
result = response.json()

if 'result' in result:
    session_keys = result['result']
    print(f'New session keys: {session_keys}')
    print('Register these keys using session.setKeys extrinsic')
else:
    print(f"Error: {result.get('error')}")

Validator Setup Workflow

1. Generate keys - Call author_rotateKeys on your validator node
2. Register on-chain - Submit session.setKeys(keys, proof) extrinsic
3. Wait for session - Keys become active in the next session
4. Verify - Check session.nextKeys storage

Security Considerations

• Only call this method on your own validator node
• Session keys are stored in the node's keystore
• Rotate keys periodically and after any security incident
• Never expose this RPC method publicly

Related Methods

• author_submitExtrinsic - Submit setKeys transaction
• author_pendingExtrinsics - View pending transactions