RPC method

eth_blockNumber on Kaia

Supported on SwiftNodes

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

Head block when measured229,692,872 (0xdb0d5c8)
Age of that block when read1 s
Average block time (last 1,000 blocks)1.0 s
Median gap between newHeads over WebSocket997 ms
"safe" behind the head0 blocks
"finalized" behind the head0 blocks

What this means for polling

At 1.0 s per block, a one-second poll returns a new number on roughly every call. Polling at the block time keeps you current without wasting requests.

"finalized" pointed at the head block itself on Kaia: 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 Kaia's own finality rules rather than the tag.

Compared with other chains

Measured by the gap between WebSocket headers, Kaia has the 14th fastest block cadence of the 40 chains we measure.

Example request

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

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

// Follow the chain: poll about once per block (1.0 s on Kaia)
const unwatch = client.watchBlockNumber({
  pollingInterval: 1000,
  onBlockNumber: (n) => console.log("new head", n),
});

Other methods on Kaia

eth_blockNumber on other chains

Frequently asked questions

Does Kaia support eth_blockNumber?

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

How fast are blocks on Kaia?

About 1.0 s per block, averaged over recent blocks (measured 2026-10-13).

How often should I poll eth_blockNumber on Kaia?

About once per block, every 1.0 s. Faster polling mostly returns the same number.

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

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