description: Using RPC Pub/Sub with Pantheon Web Socket API # RPC Pub/Sub ## Introduction Use the RPC Pub/Sub API to wait for events instead of polling for them. For example, a Dapp can subscribe to logs to be notified when a specific event has occurred. The RPC Pub/Sub methods are: * `eth_subscribe` - create a subscription for specific events. * `eth_unsubscribe` - cancel a subscription. !!!important Unlike other [JSON RPC-API methods](../Reference/JSON-RPC-API-Methods.md), the RPC Pub/Sub methods cannot be called over HTTP. ### Using RPC Pub/Sub The RPC Pub/Sub API requires a persistent connection. Connect to the RPC Pub/Sub API using a tool such as [WebSockets](../Reference/Using-JSON-RPC-API.md#endpoint-address-and-port). Use `eth_subscribe` to create subscriptions. Once subscribed, notifications are published by the API using `eth_subscription`. !!!note Notifications are published by `eth_subscription`; you do not need to call `eth_subscription`. Subscriptions are coupled to a connection. If the connection is closed, all subscriptions created over this connection are removed. ### Subscription ID `eth_subscribe` returns a subscription ID for each subscription created. Notifications include the subscription ID. !!!example For example, to create a synchonizing subscription ```json {"id": 1, "method": "eth_subscribe", "params": ["syncing"]} ``` The result includes the subscription ID of `"0x1"`: ```json {"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"result":"0x1"} ``` The notifications also include the subscription ID of `"0x1"`: ```json {"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_subscription","params":{"subscription":"0x1","result":{"startingBlock":"0x0","currentBlock":"0x50","highestBlock":"0x343c19"}}} ``` ### Notifications when Synchronizing Subscribing to some events (for example, logs) can cause a flood of notifications while the node is synchronizing. ## Subscribing Use `eth_subscribe` to create subscriptions for the following event types: * [New headers](#new-headers) * [Logs](#logs) * [Pending transactions](#pending-transactions) * [Synchronizng](#synchronizing) ### New Headers Use the `newHeads` parameter with `eth_subscribe` to be notified each time a block is added to the blockchain. If a chain reorganization occurs, the subscription publishes notifications for blocks in the new chain. This means the subscription can publish notifications for multiple blocks at the same height on the blockchain. The new headers notification returns [block objects](../Reference/JSON-RPC-API-Objects.md#block-object). The second parameter is optional. If specified, whole [transaction objects](../Reference/JSON-RPC-API-Objects.md#transaction-object) are included in the notifications. Otherwise, the transaction hashes are included. !!!example To subscribe to new header notifications: ```json {"id": 1, "method": "eth_subscribe", "params": ["newHeads", {"includeTransactions": true}]} ``` Example result: ```json {"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":2,"result":"0x1"} ``` Example notification without the `{"includeTransactions": true}` parameter included: ```json { "jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "eth_subscription", "params":{ "subscription":"0x1", "result": { "number":"0x40c22", "hash":"0x16af2ee1672203c7ac13ff280822008be0f38e1e5bdc675760015ae3192c0e3a", "parentHash":"0x1fcf5dadfaf2ab4d985eb05d40eaa23605b0db25d736610c4b87173bfe438f91", "nonce":"0x0000000000000000", "sha3Uncles":"0x1dcc4de8dec75d7aab85b567b6ccd41ad312451b948a7413f0a142fd40d49347", "logsBloom":"0x00008000000000080000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000010000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000010000000000000000000000000000000000000040000000000000000000000000000000000000000001000000000000000000000040000000000000000000000000000000000000400000000010000000000000000100000000000020000000000000000000000000000000000010000000000000000000000000000000000000000000", "transactionsRoot":"0x5b2e3c1a49352f1ca9fb5dfe74b7ffbbb6d70e23a12693444e26058d8a8e6296", "stateRoot":"0xbe8d3bc58bd982421a3ea8b66753404502df0f464ae78a17661d157c406dd38b", "receiptsRoot":"0x81b175ec1f4d44fbbd6ba08f1bd3950663b307b7cb35751c067b535cc0b58f12", "miner":"0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000", "difficulty":"0x1", "totalDifficulty":"0x7c16e", "extraData":"0xd783010600846765746887676f312e372e33856c696e757800000000000000002160f780bb1f61eda045c67cdb1297ba37d8349df8035533cb0cf82a7e45f23f3d72bbec125a9f499b3eb110b7d1918d466cb2ede90b38296cfe2aaf452c513f00", "size":"0x3a1", "gasLimit":"0x47e7c4", "gasUsed":"0x11ac3a", "timestamp":"0x592afc24", "uncles":[], "transactions":["0x419c69d21b14e2e8f911def22bb6d0156c876c0e1c61067de836713043364d6c","0x70a5b2cb2cee6e0b199232a1757fc2a9d6053a4691a7afef8508fd88aeeec703","0x4b3035f1d32339fe1a4f88147dc197a0fe5bbd63d3b9dec2dad96a3b46e4fddd"], }, } } ``` Example notification with the `{"includeTransactions": true}` parameter included: ```json { "jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "eth_subscription", "params":{ "subscription":"0x1", "result": { .... "transactions":[ { "blockHash":"0xa30ee4d7c271ae5150aec494131c5f1f34089c7aa8fb58bd8bb916a55275bb90", "blockNumber":"0x63", "from":"0xfe3b557e8fb62b89f4916b721be55ceb828dbd73", "gas":"0x5208", "gasPrice":"0x3b9aca00", "hash":"0x11f66c3e96a92e3c14c1c33ad77381221bf8b58a887b4fed6aee456fc6f39b24", "input":"0x", "nonce":"0x1", "to":"0x627306090abab3a6e1400e9345bc60c78a8bef57", "transactionIndex":"0x0", "value":"0x56bc75e2d63100000", "v":"0xfe8", "r":"0x4b57d179c74885ef5f9326fd000665ea7fae44095c1e2016a2817fc671beb8cc", "s":"0x7ec060b115746dda392777df07ae1feacc0b83b3646f0a3de9a5fc3615af9bb8", } ], }, } } ``` ### Logs Use the `logs` parameter with `eth_subscribe` to be notified of [logs](Events-and-Logs.md) included in new blocks. You can specify a filter object to receive notifications only for logs matching your filter. Logs subscriptions have an filter object parameter with the following fields: - `address` - (optional) Either an address or an array of addresses. Returns only logs created from these addresses. - `topics` - (optional) Returns only logs that match the [specified topics](Events-and-Logs.md#topic-filters). If a chain reorganization occurs, the subscription publishes notifications for logs from the old chain with the `removed` property in the [log object](../Reference/JSON-RPC-API-Objects.md#log-object) set to `true`. This means the subscription can publish notifications for multiple logs for the same transaction. The logs subscription returns [log objects](../Reference/JSON-RPC-API-Objects.md#log-object). !!!example To subscribe to all logs notifications: ```json {"id": 1, "method": "eth_subscribe", "params": ["logs",{}]} ``` To subscribe to logs for a specific address and topic: ```json {"id": 1, "method": "eth_subscribe", "params": ["logs", {"address": "0x8320fe7702b96808f7bbc0d4a888ed1468216cfd", "topics": ["0xd78a0cb8bb633d06981248b816e7bd33c2a35a6089241d099fa519e361cab902"]}]} ``` Example result: ```json {"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"result":"0x2"} ``` Example notification: ```json { "jsonrpc":"2.0", "method":"eth_subscription", "params":{ "subscription":"0x2", "result":{ "logIndex":"0x0", "removed":false, "blockNumber":"0x2174", "blockHash":"0x7bc83837534aa13df55ff7db77784b1d1ba666d4c4bdd223cae9fe09c7c37eba", "transactionHash":"0x942179373e413824c6bc7045e92295aff91b679215446549b4aeb084da46495b", "transactionIndex":"0x0", "address":"0x9b8397f1b0fecd3a1a40cdd5e8221fa461898517", "data":"0x", "topics":["0x199cd93e851e4c78c437891155e2112093f8f15394aa89dab09e38d6ca072787","0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000005"] } } } ``` ### Pending Transactions Use the `newPendingTransactions` parameter with `eth_subscribe` to be notified of pending transactions added to the transaction pool for the node. The pending transactions subscription returns the transaction hashes of the pending transactions. If a chain reorganization occurs, transactions are resubmitted to be included in the new canonical chain. This means the subscription can publish notifications for the same pending transaction more than once. !!!example To subscribe to pending transaction notifications: ```json {"id": 1, "method": "eth_subscribe", "params": ["newPendingTransactions"]} ``` Example result: ```json {"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"result":"0x1"} ``` Example notification: ```json { "jsonrpc":"2.0", "method":"eth_subscription", "params":{ "subscription":"0x1", "result":"0x5705bc8bf875ff03e98adb98489428835892dc6ba6a6b139fee1becbc26db0b8" } } ``` ### Synchronizing Use the `syncing` parameter with `eth_subscribe` to be notified about synchronization progress. The synchronizing subscription returns an object indicating the synchronization progress. Use the [`--ws-refresh-delay` option](../Reference/Pantheon-CLI-Syntax.md#ws-refresh-delay) to configure how often the synchronizing subscription returns an object. The default is 5000 milliseconds. !!!example To subscribe to synchronizing notifications: ```json {"id": 1, "method": "eth_subscribe", "params": ["syncing"]} ``` Example result: ```json {"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"result":"0x4"} ``` Example notification: ```json { "jsonrpc":"2.0", "method":"eth_subscription", "params":{ "subscription":"0x4", "result":{ "startingBlock":"0x0", "currentBlock":"0x3e80", "highestBlock":"0x67b93c" } } } ``` ## Unsubscribing Use the [subscription ID](#subscription-id) with `eth_unsubscribe` to cancel a subscription. Only the connection that created a subscription can unsubscribe from it. `eth_unsubscribe` returns `true` if subscription succuessfully unsubscribed; otherwise, an error is returned. !!!example To unsubscribe from a subsciption with subscription ID of `0x1`: ```json {"id": 1, "method": "eth_unsubscribe", "params": ["0x1"]} ``` Example result: ```json {"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"result":true} ```