web3-providers-http

What is web3-providers-http?

The web3-providers-http package is a part of the Web3.js library that allows you to interact with Ethereum nodes using HTTP. It provides a way to send JSON-RPC requests to an Ethereum node over HTTP, making it possible to perform various blockchain-related operations such as querying blockchain data, sending transactions, and more.

What are web3-providers-http's main functionalities?

Connecting to an Ethereum Node

This feature allows you to connect to an Ethereum node using an HTTP provider. The code sample demonstrates how to create a new Web3 instance and connect it to a local Ethereum node running on port 8545.

const Web3 = require('web3');
const web3 = new Web3(new Web3.providers.HttpProvider('http://localhost:8545'));
console.log('Connected to Ethereum node:', web3.currentProvider.host);

Sending JSON-RPC Requests

This feature allows you to send JSON-RPC requests to the Ethereum node. The code sample demonstrates how to get the latest block number from the connected Ethereum node.

const Web3 = require('web3');
const web3 = new Web3(new Web3.providers.HttpProvider('http://localhost:8545'));
web3.eth.getBlockNumber().then(console.log);

Handling Errors

This feature allows you to handle errors that may occur when sending JSON-RPC requests. The code sample demonstrates how to catch and log errors when trying to get the latest block number.

const Web3 = require('web3');
const web3 = new Web3(new Web3.providers.HttpProvider('http://localhost:8545'));
web3.eth.getBlockNumber().then(console.log).catch(console.error);

Other packages similar to web3-providers-http

ethers

The ethers.js library is a complete and compact library for interacting with the Ethereum blockchain and its ecosystem. It provides similar functionalities to web3-providers-http, such as connecting to Ethereum nodes, sending transactions, and querying blockchain data. Ethers.js is known for its simplicity and ease of use compared to Web3.js.

web3

The web3 package is the main library of which web3-providers-http is a part. It provides a comprehensive set of tools for interacting with the Ethereum blockchain, including various providers (HTTP, WebSocket, etc.), utilities for handling accounts, contracts, and more. It is more feature-rich compared to web3-providers-http alone.

ethjs

Ethjs is a lightweight and modular library for interacting with the Ethereum blockchain. It provides similar functionalities to web3-providers-http, such as sending JSON-RPC requests and handling blockchain data. Ethjs is designed to be minimalistic and modular, making it a good choice for projects that require a smaller footprint.

README

web3-providers-http

This is a HTTP provider sub-package for web3.js.

Please read the documentation for more.

Installation

Node.js

npm install web3-providers-http

Usage

const http = require('http');
const Web3HttpProvider = require('web3-providers-http');

const options = {
    keepAlive: true,
    timeout: 20000, // milliseconds,
    headers: [{name: 'Access-Control-Allow-Origin', value: '*'},{...}],
    withCredentials: false,
    agent: {http: http.Agent(...), baseUrl: ''}
};

const provider = new Web3HttpProvider('http://localhost:8545', options);

Types

All the TypeScript typings are placed in the types folder.