Blockchain API
Endpoints
The Helium blockchain API serves up the blockchain from a database that is filled by a blockchain node that populates the database as blocks come in.
While anyone can run a node and a corresponding API, the Helium hosted version offers up the API through two endpoints.
- https://api.helium.wtf — Beta, scalable endpoint for new features and tests. Currently connected to mainnet. This endpoint is used for feature development. Submitted transactions may get dropped.
- https://api.helium.io — Stable, scalable production service. Connected to mainnet.
Specify a User-Agent
To access the helium api via script you will need to specify a valid User-Agent HTTP header field
identifying your agent, all requests made without a User-Agent header will result in an error
429 Slow down gun powder!.
Routes
The API routes are grouped together in sub-pages of this page. Refer to the subpages for details.
Cursors
In order to return data quickly and reduce the load on the API, a cursor may be returned from an
API request. The documentation for each route will indicate whether the result is paged with a
cursor.
In order to request the next page of results, add a cursor URL parameter to the URL that was used to make the first request.
For example:
export API_URL=https://api.helium.io
http get $(API_URL)/v1/blocks
will return a data array with zero or more block results and a cursor field. To request the
next page:
http get $(API_URL)/v1/blocks?cursor=eyJiZWZvcmUiOjQzOTIwMX0
Which will return the next page of results and a next cursor for the following page. A cursor will
be returned with each response until the last page is reached, at which point no cursor is returned.
info
In order to improve caching the API may return an empty data array and a cursor. Use the cursor to request more data.
Transaction Units
All API endpoints which return a transaction value (i.e. fee, amount, etc) are represented in
the base unit bones.
The conversion rate is 100,000,000 bone per HNT.