https://github.com/metamask/eth-block-tracker
A JS module for keeping track of the latest Ethereum block by polling an ethereum provider
https://github.com/metamask/eth-block-tracker
Last synced: 7 months ago
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A JS module for keeping track of the latest Ethereum block by polling an ethereum provider
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/metamask/eth-block-tracker
- Owner: MetaMask
- License: mit
- Created: 2017-02-04T07:13:53.000Z (almost 9 years ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2025-06-04T20:36:05.000Z (8 months ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-06-22T12:46:22.578Z (7 months ago)
- Language: TypeScript
- Homepage:
- Size: 1.21 MB
- Stars: 135
- Watchers: 48
- Forks: 85
- Open Issues: 14
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- Changelog: CHANGELOG.md
- License: LICENSE
- Codeowners: .github/CODEOWNERS
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README
# @metamask/eth-block-tracker
This module walks the Ethereum blockchain, keeping track of the latest block. It uses a web3 provider as a data source and will continuously poll for the next block.
## Installation
`yarn add @metamask/eth-block-tracker`
or
`npm install @metamask/eth-block-tracker`
## Usage
```js
const createInfuraProvider = require('@metamask/eth-json-rpc-infura');
const { PollingBlockTracker } = require('@metamask/eth-block-tracker');
const provider = createInfuraProvider({
network: 'mainnet',
projectId: process.env.INFURA_PROJECT_ID,
});
const blockTracker = new PollingBlockTracker({ provider });
blockTracker.on('sync', ({ newBlock, oldBlock }) => {
if (oldBlock) {
console.log(`sync #${Number(oldBlock)} -> #${Number(newBlock)}`);
} else {
console.log(`first sync #${Number(newBlock)}`);
}
});
```
## API
### Methods
#### new PollingBlockTracker({ provider, pollingInterval, retryTimeout, keepEventLoopActive, usePastBlocks })
- Creates a new block tracker with `provider` as a data source and `pollingInterval` (ms) timeout between polling for the latest block.
- If an error is encountered when fetching blocks, it will wait `retryTimeout` (ms) before attempting again.
- If `keepEventLoopActive` is `false`, in Node.js it will [unref the polling timeout](https://nodejs.org/api/timers.html#timers_timeout_unref), allowing the process to exit during the polling interval. Defaults to `true`, meaning the process will be kept alive.
- If `usePastBlocks` is `true`, block numbers less than the current block number can used and emitted. Defaults to `false`, meaning that only block numbers greater than the current block number will be used and emitted.
#### getCurrentBlock()
Synchronously returns the current block. May be `null`.
```js
console.log(blockTracker.getCurrentBlock());
```
#### async getLatestBlock()
Asynchronously returns the latest block. if not immediately available, it will fetch one.
#### async checkForLatestBlock()
Tells the block tracker to ask for a new block immediately, in addition to its normal polling interval. Useful if you received a hint of a new block (e.g. via `tx.blockNumber` from `getTransactionByHash`). Will resolve to the new latest block when done polling.
### Events
#### latest
The `latest` event is emitted for whenever a new latest block is detected. This may mean skipping blocks if there were two created since the last polling period.
```js
blockTracker.on('latest', (newBlock) => console.log(newBlock));
```
#### sync
The `sync` event is emitted the same as "latest" but includes the previous block.
```js
blockTracker.on('sync', ({ newBlock, oldBlock }) =>
console.log(newBlock, oldBlock),
);
```
#### error
The `error` event means an error occurred while polling for the latest block.
```js
blockTracker.on('error', (err) => console.error(err));
```
## Contributing
### Setup
- Install the current LTS version of [Node.js](https://nodejs.org)
- If you are using [nvm](https://github.com/creationix/nvm#installation) (recommended) running `nvm install` will install the latest version and running `nvm use` will automatically choose the right node version for you.
- Install [Yarn](https://yarnpkg.com) v4 via [Corepack](https://github.com/nodejs/corepack?tab=readme-ov-file#how-to-install)
- Run `yarn install` to install dependencies and run any required post-install scripts
### Testing and Linting
Run `yarn test` to run the tests once. To run tests on file changes, run `yarn test:watch`.
Run `yarn lint` to run the linter, or run `yarn lint:fix` to run the linter and fix any automatically fixable issues.
### Release & Publishing
The project follows the same release process as the other libraries in the MetaMask organization. The GitHub Actions [`action-create-release-pr`](https://github.com/MetaMask/action-create-release-pr) and [`action-publish-release`](https://github.com/MetaMask/action-publish-release) are used to automate the release process; see those repositories for more information about how they work.
1. Choose a release version.
- The release version should be chosen according to SemVer. Analyze the changes to see whether they include any breaking changes, new features, or deprecations, then choose the appropriate SemVer version. See [the SemVer specification](https://semver.org/) for more information.
2. If this release is backporting changes onto a previous release, then ensure there is a major version branch for that version (e.g. `1.x` for a `v1` backport release).
- The major version branch should be set to the most recent release with that major version. For example, when backporting a `v1.0.2` release, you'd want to ensure there was a `1.x` branch that was set to the `v1.0.1` tag.
3. Trigger the [`workflow_dispatch`](https://docs.github.com/en/actions/reference/events-that-trigger-workflows#workflow_dispatch) event [manually](https://docs.github.com/en/actions/managing-workflow-runs/manually-running-a-workflow) for the `Create Release Pull Request` action to create the release PR.
- For a backport release, the base branch should be the major version branch that you ensured existed in step 2. For a normal release, the base branch should be the main branch for that repository (which should be the default value).
- This should trigger the [`action-create-release-pr`](https://github.com/MetaMask/action-create-release-pr) workflow to create the release PR.
4. Update the changelog to move each change entry into the appropriate change category ([See here](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/#types) for the full list of change categories, and the correct ordering), and edit them to be more easily understood by users of the package.
- Generally any changes that don't affect consumers of the package (e.g. lockfile changes or development environment changes) are omitted. Exceptions may be made for changes that might be of interest despite not having an effect upon the published package (e.g. major test improvements, security improvements, improved documentation, etc.).
- Try to explain each change in terms that users of the package would understand (e.g. avoid referencing internal variables/concepts).
- Consolidate related changes into one change entry if it makes it easier to explain.
- Run `yarn auto-changelog validate --rc --prettier` to check that the changelog is correctly formatted.
5. Review and QA the release.
- If changes are made to the base branch, the release branch will need to be updated with these changes and review/QA will need to restart again. As such, it's probably best to avoid merging other PRs into the base branch while review is underway.
6. Squash & Merge the release.
- This should trigger the [`action-publish-release`](https://github.com/MetaMask/action-publish-release) workflow to tag the final release commit and publish the release on GitHub.
7. Publish the release on npm.
- Be very careful to use a clean local environment to publish the release, and follow exactly the same steps used during CI.
- Use `npm publish --dry-run` to examine the release contents to ensure the correct files are included. Compare to previous releases if necessary (e.g. using `https://unpkg.com/browse/[package name]@[package version]/`).
- Once you are confident the release contents are correct, publish the release using `npm publish`.