What is the Data API?
The Data API provides web3 application developers with multi-chain data related to Avalanche’s primary network, Avalanche L1s, and Ethereum. With the Data API, you can easily build products that leverage real-time and historical transaction and transfer history, native and token balances, and various types of token metadata.
The Data API, along with the Metrics API, are the engines behind the Avalanche Explorer and the Core wallet. They are used to display transactions, logs, balances, NFTs, and more. The data and visualizations presented are all powered by these APIs, offering real-time and historical insights that are essential for building sophisticated, data-driven blockchain products.
The Data API and Glacier API refer to the same API. If you encounter the term “Glacier API” in other documentation, it is referring to the Data API, which was previously known as the Glacier API.
Features
- Extensive L1 Support: Gain access to data from over 100+ L1s across both mainnet and testnet. If an L1 is listed on the Avalanche Explorer, you can query its data using the Data API.
- Transactions and UTXOs: easily retrieve details related to transactions, UTXOs, and token transfers from Avalanche EVMs, Ethereum, and Avalanche’s Primary Network - the P-Chain, X-Chain and C-Chain.
- Blocks: retrieve latest blocks and block details
- Balances: fetch balances of native, ERC-20, ERC-721, and ERC-1155 tokens along with relevant metadata.
- Tokens: augment your user experience with asset details.
- Staking: get staking related data for active and historical validations.
Supported Chains
Avalanche’s architecture supports a diverse ecosystem of interconnected L1 blockchains, each operating independently while retaining the ability to seamlessly communicate with other L1s within the network. Central to this architecture is the Primary Network—Avalanche’s foundational network layer, which all validators are required to validate prior to ACP-77. The Primary Network runs three essential blockchains:
- The Contract Chain (C-Chain)
- The Platform Chain (P-Chain)
- The Exchange Chain (X-Chain)
However, with the implementation of ACP-77, this requirement will change. Subnet Validators will be able to operate independently of the Primary Network, allowing for more flexible and affordable Subnet creation and management.
The Data API supports a wide range of L1 blockchains (over 100) across both mainnet and testnet, including popular ones like Beam, DFK, Lamina1, Dexalot, Shrapnel, and Pulsar. In fact, every L1 you see on the Avalanche Explorer can be queried through the Data API. This list is continually expanding as we keep adding more L1s. For a full list of supported chains, visit List chains.
The Contract Chain (C-Chain)
The C-Chain is an implementation of the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). The primary network endpoints only provide information related to C-Chain atomic memory balances and import/export transactions. For additional data, please reference the EVM APIs.
The P-Chain is responsible for all validator and L1-level operations. The P-Chain supports the creation of new blockchains and L1s, the addition of validators to L1s, staking operations, and other platform-level operations.
The Exchange Chain (X-Chain)
The X-Chain is responsible for operations on digital smart assets known as Avalanche Native Tokens. A smart asset is a representation of a real-world resource (for example, equity, or a bond) with sets of rules that govern its behavior, like “can’t be traded until tomorrow.” The X-Chain supports the creation and trade of Avalanche Native Tokens.
EVM
The C-Chain is an instance of the Coreth Virtual Machine, and many Avalanche L1s are instances of the Subnet-EVM, which is a Virtual Machine (VM) that defines the L1 Contract Chains. Subnet-EVM is a simplified version of Coreth VM (C-Chain).
Operations
The Operations API allows users to easily access their on-chain history by creating transaction exports returned in a CSV format. This API supports EVMs as well as non-EVM Primary Network chains.
