eth_blockNumber on Base
Returns the latest block height the node has synced. The cheapest and most common health/poll call — used to confirm an endpoint is live and at chain tip.
Because it only reads the head, it's the ideal liveness/lag probe: poll it and compare against a second source to catch a stalled or forked node. It takes no block tag and answers instantly even on pruned nodes.
Base endpoint (public — no key)
https://rpc.nodeflare.app/base/publicMethod
eth_blockNumber
Cost
1 CU
Chain ID
8453
Block time
~2 s
Finality
~2 s soft · L1-final ~13 min
Blocks on Base
Base produces a block every 2 seconds — about 43,000 blocks a day, six times Ethereum's cadence. Block-number arithmetic tuned for mainnet (e.g. "last 7,000 blocks ≈ 1 day") is wrong here by 6×.
Parameters
None.cURL
curl https://rpc.nodeflare.app/base/public \
-X POST \
-H 'content-type: application/json' \
-d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_blockNumber","params":[],"id":1}'ethers.js
import { ethers } from 'ethers';
const provider = new ethers.JsonRpcProvider(
'https://rpc.nodeflare.app/base/public'
);
const result = await provider.send('eth_blockNumber', []);Try it live
Runs the example above against the public Base endpoint — straight from your browser.
eth_blockNumber on Base — FAQ
How do I call eth_blockNumber on Base?
POST a JSON-RPC 2.0 request with "method": "eth_blockNumber" to NodeFlare's Base endpoint at https://rpc.nodeflare.app/base/public. No API key is required for the public endpoint.
What does eth_blockNumber cost on the free tier?
eth_blockNumber is weighted at 1 compute unit per call. The free tier includes 2,000,000 CU/month, so that is roughly 2,000,000 eth_blockNumber calls per month — no credit card.
Is eth_blockNumber available on the public Base endpoint?
Yes. eth_blockNumber works on the public Base endpoint (https://rpc.nodeflare.app/base/public) with no API key, rate-limited per IP. A free key adds higher limits and a dedicated path.
Anything Base-specific to know when using eth_blockNumber?
Base produces a block every 2 seconds — about 43,000 blocks a day, six times Ethereum's cadence. Block-number arithmetic tuned for mainnet (e.g. "last 7,000 blocks ≈ 1 day") is wrong here by 6×.
Call eth_blockNumber on Base with a free key
2,000,000 compute units/month, heavy methods unlocked, every chain included. No credit card.
Get your free API key →