debug_getBadBlocks

Every block a BNB Smart Chain (BSC) node rejects as invalid lands in a short list, and debug_getBadBlocks reads that list back. Each entry carries the block's hash, its decoded header, and the raw RLP a peer actually sent, so an operator can see precisely what malformed candidate hit the node and why it bounced. BSC runs Proof-of-Staked-Authority consensus, sealing a block about every three seconds with BNB covering the gas, which means a bad block usually points at a misbehaving validator rather than ordinary load. Query it on chain ID 56 at https://bsc.therpc.io/YOUR_API_KEY. It is a debug-namespace call, so the node has to be started with debug access for it to answer.

Use cases

Catch PoSA consensus violations or malformed blocks that a misbehaving validator or peer tried to push onto your node.
Investigate a fork on BSC by lining up the rejected alternative block against the canonical one.
Audit client validation logic by checking the rejected RLP against the protocol rules it failed to satisfy.

Parameters

This method takes no parameters. Pass an empty array [].

Response

Type	Description
array	Array of objects, each with `{hash, block, rlp}` — `block` contains the decoded header fields and `rlp` is the raw RLP-encoded block. Returns an empty array if no bad blocks have been seen.

Example request

1curl https://bsc.therpc.io/YOUR_API_KEY \
2  -X POST \
3  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
4  -d '{
5    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
6    "method": "debug_getBadBlocks",
7    "params": [],
8    "id": 1
9  }'

Try it live in the BNB Smart Chain playground.

Errors & troubleshooting

Code	Message	Cause
`-32601`	`Method not found`	debug namespace not enabled on the node, or client does not implement this method.

Common pitfalls

The history lives in memory only and is wiped the instant the node restarts, so it is no substitute for a durable audit log.
A healthy BSC node rarely sees a bad block, so an empty array is the normal answer rather than a sign anything is wrong.
Not every EVM-compatible client implements the method, and lower service tiers may not expose the debug namespace at all.

Supported networks

Mainnet — Chain ID: 56
Testnet — Chain ID: 97