🔢 eth_getTransactionCount - Base Chain

What This Method Does

The eth_getTransactionCount method returns the number of transactions an address has sent on the Base blockchain. This number is also known as the "nonce" and is essential for creating new transactions.

💡 Why is this important? Every transaction from your address must use a unique, sequential nonce. Understanding transaction counts helps you create valid transactions and resolve stuck or pending transactions.

Parameters

Parameter	What to Provide
`address`	The wallet or contract address you want to check (42 characters, starts with "0x")
`blockNumber or Tag`	Block number (in hex) or "latest", "earliest", or "pending"

Note: Unlike Ethereum mainnet, Base chain does not support the "safe" and "finalized" tags.

What You'll Get Back

Transaction Count (Nonce) - A hexadecimal number representing how many transactions this address has sent

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How To Use It

POST https://base-mainnet.chainnodes.org/YOUR-API-KEY

Example Request

HTTPS POST Request with a JSON RPC call in the body
Replace YOUR-API-KEY with the API key from your Chainnodes.org Dashboard
You can use a different supported network by replacing base-mainnet

curl https://base-mainnet.chainnodes.org/YOUR-API-KEY \
    -X POST \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_getTransactionCount","params":["0xad89a377e302791fb523ffb427f3f480cad3a72c", "latest"],"id":1}'

Example Response

{
   "jsonrpc": "2.0",
   "id": 1,
   "result": "0x2a"
}

In this example, the address has sent 42 transactions (0x2a in hexadecimal = 42 in decimal).

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Common Use Cases

📤 Creating a New Transaction

When you send a transaction on Base, you need to include the correct nonce. This method tells you what nonce to use next.

// Get the current transaction count to use as nonce
const nonce = await eth.getTransactionCount('0xYourAddress', 'latest');
 
// Convert from hex to decimal if needed
const nonceDecimal = parseInt(nonce, 16);
 
// Use it in your transaction
const tx = {
    from: '0xYourAddress',
    to: '0xRecipientAddress',
    value: '0x38D7EA4C68000', // 0.001 ETH in wei (hex)
    nonce: nonce,
    gasLimit: '0x5208',      // 21000 in hex
    maxFeePerGas: '0x59682F00', // Gas price in wei (hex)
    chainId: '0x2105'        // Base mainnet chain ID (8453 in decimal)
};

🔍 Check for Pending Transactions

Compare the transaction count at "latest" vs "pending" to see if your address has pending transactions.

// Get transaction count at the latest mined block
const latestCount = await eth.getTransactionCount('0xYourAddress', 'latest');
 
// Get transaction count including pending transactions
const pendingCount = await eth.getTransactionCount('0xYourAddress', 'pending');
 
// If they're different, you have pending transactions
const hasPendingTx = pendingCount > latestCount;
console.log(hasPendingTx ? "You have pending transactions" : "No pending transactions");

🛠️ Fix a Stuck Transaction

If you have a transaction stuck in the pending state, you can replace it by sending a new transaction with the same nonce but higher gas price.

// Get the nonce of your stuck transaction
const stuckTxNonce = '0x4'; // Example nonce in hex
 
// Create replacement transaction with same nonce but higher gas price
const replacementTx = {
    from: '0xYourAddress',
    to: '0xRecipientAddress',
    value: '0x38D7EA4C68000', // Same value as original tx
    nonce: stuckTxNonce,     // Same nonce as stuck tx
    gasLimit: '0x5208',      // 21000 in hex
    maxFeePerGas: '0x59682F00', // Higher gas price than original tx
    chainId: '0x2105'        // Base mainnet chain ID
};

Related Methods

eth_sendRawTransaction - Send a signed transaction to the network
eth_getTransactionByHash - Get details of a specific transaction

JSON-RPC Base API Documentation by CHAINNODES is based on Reth node client. Contact us if you are interested in specific methods that are only available on geth, besu, Nethermind or Erigon

eth_getTransactionByHash eth_getTransactionReceipt