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:
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:
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:
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(notnet_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_switchEthereumChainandwallet_addEthereumChainto 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
Related Methods
net_version- Get network versioneth_syncing- Check sync status
trace_transaction
Get traces for a specific transaction on Tempo. Requires archive node for merchant settlement, treasury operations, payout automation, and stablecoin-native financial applications.
eth_syncing
Check the sync status of your Tempo node. Returns sync progress or false when fully synced - essential for node health monitoring and dApp reliability.