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eth_chainId - Tempo RPC Method

Get the chain ID for Tempo. Essential for transaction signing and network verification.

Returns the chain ID used for transaction signing on Tempo.

Why Tempo? Build on a payments-first EVM chain with deterministic settlement and stablecoin-native fees with no native gas token, fees denominated in supported USD stablecoins, and full EVM RPC compatibility.

When to Use This Method

eth_chainId is essential for payment application developers, wallet teams, stablecoin issuers, and treasury automation builders:

  • EIP-155 Transaction Signing -- Include the chain ID in transaction signatures to prevent replay attacks across different networks
  • Multi-Chain Application Routing -- Detect which network the RPC endpoint serves and configure application logic accordingly
  • Wallet Integration -- Verify users are connected to the expected network before prompting transaction approval
  • Cross-Chain Security -- Validate chain identity before bridging assets or relaying messages on merchant settlement, treasury operations, payout automation, and stablecoin-native financial applications

Common Use Cases

1. Multi-Network Connection Guard

Reject connections to unexpected networks before any transaction is sent:

JavaScript
import { JsonRpcProvider, BrowserProvider } from 'ethers';

async function guardNetwork(provider, allowedChainIds) {
  const network = await provider.getNetwork();
  const chainId = Number(network.chainId);
  
  if (!allowedChainIds.includes(chainId)) {
    throw new Error(
      `Wrong network: connected to chain ${chainId}, expected one of [${allowedChainIds}]`
    );
  }
  
  console.log(`Connected to chain ${chainId}`);
  return chainId;
}

// Example: only allow Ethereum mainnet (1) and Arbitrum (42161)
await guardNetwork(provider, [1, 42161]);

2. Wallet Network Switcher

Detect the current chain and prompt wallet to switch if needed:

JavaScript
async function ensureCorrectChain(walletProvider, targetChainId, chainParams) {
  const currentChainId = await walletProvider.send('eth_chainId', []);
  const currentId = parseInt(currentChainId, 16);
  
  if (currentId !== targetChainId) {
    try {
      await walletProvider.send('wallet_switchEthereumChain', [
        { chainId: '0x' + targetChainId.toString(16) }
      ]);
    } catch (switchError) {
      // Chain not added to wallet -- add it
      if (switchError.code === 4902) {
        await walletProvider.send('wallet_addEthereumChain', [chainParams]);
      } else {
        throw switchError;
      }
    }
    
    console.log(`Switched to chain ${targetChainId}`);
  } else {
    console.log(`Already on chain ${targetChainId}`);
  }
  
  return targetChainId;
}

3. Chain-Aware Configuration Loader

Dynamically load chain-specific contract addresses and settings:

Python
from web3 import Web3

def load_chain_config(rpc_url):
    w3 = Web3(Web3.HTTPProvider(rpc_url))
    chain_id = w3.eth.chain_id
    
    configs = {
        1: {
            'name': 'Ethereum Mainnet',
            'uniswap_router': '0x7a250d5630B4cF539739dF2C5dAcb4c659F2488D',
            'explorer': 'https://etherscan.io',
            'native_symbol': 'ETH'
        },
        137: {
            'name': 'Polygon',
            'uniswap_router': '0xa5E0829CaCEd8fFDD4De3c43696c57F7D7A678ff',
            'explorer': 'https://polygonscan.com',
            'native_symbol': 'MATIC'
        },
        42161: {
            'name': 'Arbitrum One',
            'uniswap_router': '0xE592427A0AEce92De3Edee1F18E0157C05861564',
            'explorer': 'https://arbiscan.io',
            'native_symbol': 'ETH'
        }
    }
    
    if chain_id not in configs:
        raise ValueError(f'Unsupported chain ID: {chain_id}')
    
    config = configs[chain_id]
    print(f'Loaded config for {config["name"]} (chain {chain_id})')
    return {'chain_id': chain_id, **config}

Best Practices

  • Use eth_chainId (not net_version) for EIP-155 transaction signing -- chain ID is the canonical signing value
  • Cache the chain ID at application startup -- it does not change during a session
  • For browser wallet dApps, use wallet_switchEthereumChain and wallet_addEthereumChain to guide users to the correct network
  • Some L2 chains share the same chain ID as their L1 -- always combine chain ID checks with additional endpoint verification
  • Return value is a hex-encoded integer -- parse with parseInt(result, 16) before using

Code Examples