debug_traceBlockByNumber

debug_traceBlockByNumber re-runs an entire Base block and returns opcode-level execution traces for every transaction in it, addressed by block number or by a tag such as latest, earliest, or pending. Base is the OP Stack optimistic rollup Coinbase operates, producing blocks roughly every two seconds, paying gas in ETH, and settling to Ethereum L1. Direct the call to https://base.therpc.io/YOUR_API_KEY (chain ID 8453, hex 0x2105) with the block specifier and an optional tracer config; the node replays each transaction against the parent state and returns one trace per transaction in block order. The number-based form is the convenient way to trace the head of the chain or to sweep a sequential range of Base blocks.

Use cases

• Trace all transactions in a known Base block by number to audit every state transition in that block at once, without fetching each transaction hash first.
• Extract the complete call graph of an entire Base block for MEV research using callTracer, then look for sandwich or arbitrage patterns around Aerodrome and Uniswap pools.
• Compare the gas profile of every transaction in a Base block to spot outliers — useful given the chain's high consumer-app throughput.

Parameters

Response

Example request

1curl https://base.therpc.io/YOUR_API_KEY \
2  -X POST \
3  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
4  -d '{
5    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
6    "method": "debug_traceBlockByNumber",
7    "params": [
8        "latest",
9        {}
10      ],
11    "id": 1
12  }'

Try it live in the Base playground.

Errors & troubleshooting

Common pitfalls

• Tracing a full block replays every transaction in it; a busy Base block can take a long time and return a very large payload, especially with the default struct-log tracer.
• An archive node is required for historical Base blocks; a non-archive node only retains recent state and rejects older numbers with "block not found".
• The latest and pending tags are valid but race with Base's roughly two-second block cadence — the head can advance between the time you send the request and when it is served, so two calls may target different blocks.

Supported networks

• Mainnet — Chain ID: 8453
• Sepolia — Chain ID: 84532

See also

• debug_traceBlockByHash
• debug_traceBlock
• debug_traceTransaction
• trace_block

1curl https://base.therpc.io/YOUR_API_KEY \
2  -X POST \
3  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
4  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"debug_traceBlockByNumber","params":["latest",{}]}'