eth_blockNumber on Arbitrum Nova
Everything below was measured on 2026-10-13 by calling eth_blockNumber on Arbitrum Nova 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 Arbitrum Nova: what we measured
| Head block when measured | 85,284,524 (0x51556ac) |
|---|---|
| Age of that block when read | 1028 s |
| Average block time (last 1,000 blocks) | 389 s |
| "safe" behind the head | 1 blocks (about 6 min) |
| "finalized" behind the head | 1 blocks (about 6 min) |
What this means for polling
With 389 s blocks, polling more often than every 389 seconds mostly returns the same number and spends requests for nothing. viem's default polling interval of 4 seconds is already shorter than one block on Arbitrum Nova.
"finalized" trailed the head by only 1 block on Arbitrum Nova, so blocks become final almost immediately.
Example request
curl -s https://rpc.swiftnodes.io/rpc/arbitrum-nova?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/arbitrum-nova?key=YOUR_API_KEY"),
});
const head = await client.getBlockNumber(); // bigint
// Follow the chain: poll about once per block (389 s on Arbitrum Nova)
const unwatch = client.watchBlockNumber({
pollingInterval: 388678,
onBlockNumber: (n) => console.log("new head", n),
});Other methods on Arbitrum Nova
- 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
- ApeChain
- 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
- Immutable zkEVM
Frequently asked questions
Does Arbitrum Nova support eth_blockNumber?
Yes. eth_blockNumber answered on the SwiftNodes Arbitrum Nova endpoint when our weekly probe called it through the customer path (2026-10-13).
How fast are blocks on Arbitrum Nova?
About 389 s per block, averaged over recent blocks (measured 2026-10-13).
How often should I poll eth_blockNumber on Arbitrum Nova?
About once per block, every 389 s. Faster polling mostly returns the same number.
Arbitrum Nova endpoints, live block height and WebSocket status are on the Arbitrum Nova RPC page.
One key covers every chain we serve, and SwiftNodes has a free tier.