RPC method

eth_blockNumber on Cronos

Supported on SwiftNodes

Everything below was measured on 2026-10-13 by calling eth_blockNumber on Cronos 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 Cronos: what we measured

Head block when measured99,667,447 (0x5f0cdf7)
Age of that block when read1 s
Average block time (last 1,000 blocks)419 ms
Median gap between newHeads over WebSocket401 ms
"safe" behind the head0 blocks
"finalized" behind the head0 blocks

What this means for polling

Cronos produces a block about every 419 ms, so a client that polls eth_blockNumber once a second sees the number jump by about 2 each time. If you need every block, subscribe to newHeads over WebSocket (see eth_subscribe on Cronos) or fetch the skipped range with eth_getBlockByNumber.

"finalized" pointed at the head block itself on Cronos: its nodes report each new block as finalized, so the tag adds no safety over "latest". If you need settlement on Ethereum or protection from deep reorgs, check Cronos's own finality rules rather than the tag.

Compared with other chains

Measured by the gap between WebSocket headers, Cronos has the 4th fastest block cadence of the 40 chains we measure.

Example request

curl -s https://rpc.swiftnodes.io/rpc/cronos?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/cronos?key=YOUR_API_KEY"),
});

const head = await client.getBlockNumber(); // bigint

// Follow the chain: poll about once per block (419 ms on Cronos)
const unwatch = client.watchBlockNumber({
  pollingInterval: 419,
  onBlockNumber: (n) => console.log("new head", n),
});

Other methods on Cronos

eth_blockNumber on other chains

Frequently asked questions

Does Cronos support eth_blockNumber?

Yes. eth_blockNumber answered on the SwiftNodes Cronos endpoint when our weekly probe called it through the customer path (2026-10-13).

How fast are blocks on Cronos?

About 419 ms per block, averaged over recent blocks (measured 2026-10-13).

How often should I poll eth_blockNumber on Cronos?

Polling cannot keep up with 419 ms blocks; subscribe to newHeads over WebSocket instead.

Cronos endpoints, live block height and WebSocket status are on the Cronos RPC page.

One key covers every chain we serve, and SwiftNodes has a free tier.