Metamask RPC API Equivalent: Get Ethereum Balance Using CURL

As a Metamask user, you’ve probably come across various scenarios where you’ve needed to request your Ethereum wallet balance. Although Metamask provides an official RPC (Remote Procedure Call) API for interacting with the Ethereum network, accessing your balance through this interface can be cumbersome and error-prone. In this article, we’ll look at alternative approaches using CURL on the command line that may offer an easier way to retrieve your Ethereum balance.

Why Metamask’s RPC interface is complicated

Before we delve into the alternatives, let’s take a quick look at why Metamask’s RPC interface can be intimidating:

• Complexity: The official API involves several steps and requires proper authentication.

• Speed ​​Limiting: Metamask may impose speed limits on certain requests to prevent abuse.

CURL Equivalent: Get Ethereum Balance

Assuming you have a Metamask wallet connected, we’ll show you how to get your balance using CURL on the command line. Let’s assume you’re running this on Linux or macOS (using curl and ssh-agent).

Step 1: Configure the SSH agent

To use CURL with the Metamask wallet, you need to configure your SSH agent correctly.

Generate a new SSH key pair
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -b 256

• Create a new file named .ssh/id_ed25519 in your home directory.

• Add the public part of your key to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys.

Step 2: Installing the necessary packages

To use CURL, you need to install the curl package and any additional dependencies specific to your operating system.

On Ubuntu-based systems (Debian or Ubuntu)
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y libssl-dev curl

• On other Linux distributions: Install libcurl4-openssl-dev using a package manager such as apt or dnf.

Step 3: Creating the Curl command

Now that you’re all set up, let’s create a CURL command to retrieve your Ethereum balance.

Connect to the Metamask RPC server using your private key (not public)
curl -X POST \
 \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-u "$METAMASK_PRIVATE_KEY" \
-d '{"action": "balance", "params": {"from": "0x..."}}'

Replace "0x..." with the hexadecimal address of your Ethereum wallet.

Step 4: Processing of errors and exceptions

Be prepared for possible errors or exceptions when using CURL. Be sure to handle these situations properly, including recording any relevant information.

Check if the connection was successful
if [ $? - not 0 ]; then
echo "Error: Failed to connect to Metamask RPC server"
fi

Step 5: Check your balance

To check your balance, you can use the same method to send a request.

Get your current balance with curl
curl -X GET \

This should return your current Ethereum balance in decimal format. If successful, you’ll see output like:

Balance: 1000.00 Ether

Congratulations! You have successfully received your Ethereum balance using CURL with the Metamask RPC API equivalent.

Conclusion

Although accessing your Ethereum balance directly through the official RPC interface can be difficult due to its complexity and rate-limiting features, using CURL on the command line offers a simpler alternative. By following these steps, you can effectively get your Ethereum balance on your local computer.