eth_blockNumber on ApeChain
Everything below was measured on 2026-10-13 by calling eth_blockNumber on ApeChain through the same endpoint customers use, and is re-measured weekly.
What eth_blockNumber does
Returns the number of the most recent block the node has, as a hex string. It is the cheapest way to tell whether a node is keeping up and the usual starting point for polling a chain.
eth_blockNumber on ApeChain: what we measured
| Head block when measured | 51,944,995 (0x3189e23) |
|---|---|
| Age of that block when read | 2 s |
| Average block time (last 1,000 blocks) | 723 ms |
| Median gap between newHeads over WebSocket | 810 ms |
| "safe" behind the head | 710 blocks (about 9 min) |
| "finalized" behind the head | 1,033 blocks (about 12 min) |
What this means for polling
ApeChain produces a block about every 723 ms, so a client that polls eth_blockNumber once a second sees the number jump by about 1 each time. If you need every block, subscribe to newHeads over WebSocket (see eth_subscribe on ApeChain) or fetch the skipped range with eth_getBlockByNumber.
The number eth_blockNumber returns is the newest block, which can still change in a reorg. On ApeChain, "finalized" was 1,033 blocks (about 12 min) behind it and "safe" 710 blocks behind. Use eth_getBlockByNumber("finalized") when you need a height that will not change.
Compared with other chains
Measured by the gap between WebSocket headers, ApeChain has the 11th fastest block cadence of the 40 chains we measure.
Example request
curl -s https://rpc.swiftnodes.io/rpc/apechain?key=YOUR_API_KEY \
-X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"eth_blockNumber","params":[]}'import { createPublicClient, http } from "viem";
const client = createPublicClient({
transport: http("https://rpc.swiftnodes.io/rpc/apechain?key=YOUR_API_KEY"),
});
const head = await client.getBlockNumber(); // bigint
// Follow the chain: poll about once per block (723 ms on ApeChain)
const unwatch = client.watchBlockNumber({
pollingInterval: 723,
onBlockNumber: (n) => console.log("new head", n),
});Other methods on ApeChain
- eth_chainIdSupported
- eth_getBalanceSupported
- eth_getBlockByNumberSupported
- eth_getTransactionByHashSupported
- eth_getTransactionReceiptSupported
- eth_callSupported
- eth_estimateGasSupported
- eth_gasPriceSupported
- eth_maxPriorityFeePerGasSupported
- eth_sendRawTransactionSupported
- eth_getTransactionCountSupported
- eth_getCodeSupported
- eth_subscribeSupported
- eth_getLogsSupported
- eth_getBlockReceiptsSupported
- eth_feeHistorySupported
- eth_getProofSupported
- eth_createAccessListSupported
- debug_traceCallSupported
- trace_blockNot available
- trace_transactionNot available
eth_blockNumber on other chains
- Ethereum
- Base
- Arbitrum
- Optimism
- Polygon
- BNB Smart Chain
- Avalanche
- Sonic
- Linea
- Scroll
- zkSync Era
- Blast
- Mantle
- Gnosis
- Celo
- Berachain
- Monad
- Unichain
- Kaia
- PulseChain
- World Chain
- Ronin
- Abstract
- MegaETH
- Fantom
- Lisk
- Hemi
- X Layer
- BOB
- Plasma
- Fraxtal
- Zora
- Story
- Soneium
- Sei
- Hyperliquid
- Taiko
- Morph
- Ink
- Katana
- Ethereum Classic
- opBNB
- Mode
- Flare
- Core
- Chiliz
- Telos EVM
- Tempo
- Cronos
- Manta Pacific
- Shibarium
- Boba Network
- Arbitrum Nova
- Immutable zkEVM
Frequently asked questions
Does ApeChain support eth_blockNumber?
Yes. eth_blockNumber answered on the SwiftNodes ApeChain endpoint when our weekly probe called it through the customer path (2026-10-13).
How fast are blocks on ApeChain?
About 723 ms per block, averaged over recent blocks (measured 2026-10-13).
How often should I poll eth_blockNumber on ApeChain?
Polling cannot keep up with 723 ms blocks; subscribe to newHeads over WebSocket instead.
ApeChain endpoints, live block height and WebSocket status are on the ApeChain RPC page.
One key covers every chain we serve, and SwiftNodes has a free tier.