eth_getCode

eth_getCode returns the EVM bytecode deployed at an address on Base, the Coinbase-built OP Stack optimistic rollup that settles to Ethereum L1 and uses ETH for gas. Because Base runs a standard EVM, the bytecode you read back here is byte-identical to what the same contract would carry on Ethereum mainnet. Point the call at https://base.therpc.io/YOUR_API_KEY (chain ID 8453, hex 0x2105) and pass an address plus a block tag. The result is the hex-encoded bytecode at the specified block, or "0x" when the address is an EOA, was self-destructed, or held no code at that height.

Use cases

• Tell contract accounts from EOAs: a "0x" result means a plain wallet, anything longer means a deployed contract on Base.
• Confirm a fresh deployment matches the expected artifact by comparing the returned bytecode against your compiled output before you announce the address.
• Spot proxy contracts — common across Base apps like Aerodrome and Uniswap deployments — by matching minimal-proxy (EIP-1167) or upgradeable-proxy (EIP-1967) bytecode patterns.
• Audit whether a contract was self-destructed by querying an earlier block and a later one and watching the code disappear.

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": "eth_getCode",
7    "params": [
8        "0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000",
9        "latest"
10      ],
11    "id": 1
12  }'

Try it live in the Base playground.

Errors & troubleshooting

Common pitfalls

• A "0x" result is ambiguous: it covers both EOAs and self-destructed contracts, so absence of code alone does not tell you which case you hit — cross-check with eth_getTransactionCount or history if it matters.
• For a proxy you get the proxy's own bytecode, not the implementation behind it; read the EIP-1967 implementation slot with eth_getStorageAt to find the logic contract.
• Querying code at an old Base height needs an archive node; a pruned node answers with a Missing trie node error.

Supported networks

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

See also

• eth_getStorageAt
• eth_getProof
• eth_call
• eth_getBalance

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":"eth_getCode","params":["0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000",""]}'