eth_call on Base
Executes a message call against the EVM without creating a transaction — the backbone of every contract read (balanceOf, totalSupply, etc.). Returns the call's return data.
Runs against a chosen block's state with no gas paid; override from/value/block to simulate a sender or a past state. It surfaces the contract's revert reason, which is how you catch errors like 'insufficient allowance' before sending a real tx.
Base endpoint (public — no key)
https://rpc.nodeflare.app/base/publicMethod
eth_call
Cost
5 CU
Chain ID
8453
Block time
~2 s
Finality
~2 s soft · L1-final ~13 min
Contract calls on Base
eth_estimateGas on Base covers L2 execution only — the L1 data fee is added on top at inclusion time. Budget from the receipt's l1Fee on similar transactions, not from the gas estimate alone.
Parameters
[callObject, blockNumber|tag]cURL
curl https://rpc.nodeflare.app/base/public \
-X POST \
-H 'content-type: application/json' \
-d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_call","params":[{"to": "0x833589fcd6edb6e08f4c7c32d4f71b54bda02913", "data": "0x18160ddd"}, "latest"],"id":1}'The example targets the USDC contract on Base — you can run it as-is.
ethers.js
import { ethers } from 'ethers';
const provider = new ethers.JsonRpcProvider(
'https://rpc.nodeflare.app/base/public'
);
const result = await provider.send('eth_call', [{"to": "0x833589fcd6edb6e08f4c7c32d4f71b54bda02913", "data": "0x18160ddd"}, "latest"]);Try it live
Runs the example above against the public Base endpoint — straight from your browser.
eth_call on Base — FAQ
How do I call eth_call on Base?
POST a JSON-RPC 2.0 request with "method": "eth_call" to NodeFlare's Base endpoint at https://rpc.nodeflare.app/base/public. No API key is required for the public endpoint.
What does eth_call cost on the free tier?
eth_call is weighted at 5 compute units per call. The free tier includes 2,000,000 CU/month, so that is roughly 400,000 eth_call calls per month — no credit card.
Is eth_call available on the public Base endpoint?
Yes. eth_call 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_call?
eth_estimateGas on Base covers L2 execution only — the L1 data fee is added on top at inclusion time. Budget from the receipt's l1Fee on similar transactions, not from the gas estimate alone.
Call eth_call 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 →