Using blockchain nodes

This page describes how to get ready to query a Blockchain Node Engine node using an API key for authentication.

Before you can use the blockchain node, you need to:

Create an API key
Get the node's URLs

Create an API key

You must use an API key for authentication to query your node.

To generate a key in the Google Cloud console:

In the Google Cloud console, go to the APIs & Services, Credentials page.

Go to Credentials

Click Create credentials.
Click API key.
In the API key created dialog, click Copy to copy the key, and then paste it into a temporary file. You will need the API key in Query a blockchain node.

See Authenticate using API keys for more information on API keys.

Get the blockchain node endpoint URLs

You can get the blockchain node URLs using the console or by sending an API request:

Using the console

To view details about a node in the UI:

In the Google Cloud console, go to the Blockchain Node Engine page.

Go to Blockchain Node Engine

The Nodes list page is displayed by default.

Click a node name. The Node details page is displayed.
Blockchain node URLs are displayed in the Endpoints area.

Using an API

To list details related to a blockchain node with ListBlockchainNodes, send the following request:

curl \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $(gcloud auth print-access-token)" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
https://blockchainnodeengine.googleapis.com/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/\
locations/LOCATION/blockchainNodes/NODE_NAME

Where:

PROJECT_ID is your Google Cloud project ID. For example, my-project-id
LOCATION is the location you selected in Create a blockchain node. For example, us-central1.
NODE_NAME is the name of the node that you created in Create a blockchain node. For example, my-node.

Private Service Enabled Nodes

NOTE: This section only applies to Private Service Connect nodes. All other nodes can proceed to the next section

Private Service Connect enabled nodes will return a serviceAttachment as shown in the following Ethereum example:

{
  "name": "projects/cloud-web3/locations/us-central1/blockchainNodes/my-node",
  "createTime": "2023-12-08T15:06:43.538015Z",
  "updateTime": "2023-12-08T15:23:53.016239Z",
  "blockchainType": "ETHEREUM",
  "connectionInfo": {
    "serviceAttachment": "projects/associated-project/regions/us-central1/serviceAttachments/associated-service-attachment"
  },
  "ethereumDetails": {
    "network": "MAINNET",
    "nodeType": "ARCHIVE",
    "executionClient": "ERIGON",
    "consensusClient": "LIGHTHOUSE",
    "apiEnableAdmin": false,
    "apiEnableDebug": false
  },
  "state": "RUNNING",
  "pscOnly": true
}

To use the node, complete the Private Service Connect configuration. Then construct your endpoint using the Private Service Connect static IP address and designated port for your chosen interaction, in place of the standard DNS endpoint.

For port number references:

Ethereum: See Private Service Connect Ethereum Port Guide

Nodes with a Public Endpoint

The blockchain URLs returned are in the endpointInfo and additionalEndpoints sections as shown in the following Ethereum example:

{
  "name": "projects/my-project-id/locations/us-central1/blockchainNodes/my-node",
  "createTime": "2023-05-05T04:24:12.432769Z",
  "updateTime": "2023-05-05T05:03:02.561240Z",
  "labels": {
    "my-label-key": "my-label-value"
  },
  "blockchainType": "ETHEREUM",
  "connectionInfo": {
    "ipInfo": {
      "rpcIpv4Address": "192.0.2.1"
    },
    "endpointInfo": {
      "jsonRpcApiEndpoint": "json-rpc.ejp4j0b1rdiq06p8lxksd5z25.blockchainnodeengine.com",
      "websocketsApiEndpoint": "ws.ejp4j0b1rdiq06p8lxksd5z25.blockchainnodeengine.com"
    }
  },
  "ethereumDetails": {
    "network": "MAINNET",
    "nodeType": "FULL",
    "executionClient": "GETH",
    "consensusClient": "LIGHTHOUSE",
    "apiEnableAdmin": false,
    "apiEnableDebug": false,
    "additionalEndpoints": {
      "beaconApiEndpoint": "beacon.ejp4j0b1rdiq06p8lxksd5z25.blockchainnodeengine.com",
      "beaconPrometheusMetricsApiEndpoint": "bc-mc.ejp4j0b1rdiq06p8lxksd5z25.blockchainnodeengine.com"
    }
  },
  "state": "RUNNING"
}

Query a blockchain node

Now that you know your API key and blockchain node endpoint URLs, for usage instructions see the appropriate topic for each blockchain:

Ethereum: See Using Ethereum blockchain nodes