A Node.js API query service built with Fastify that indexes and provides access to blockchain chain data from multiple sources. Also available as an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for AI assistants.
Code Quality & Testing
This project maintains high code quality standards through:
-
Comprehensive Testing: Includes unit tests, integration tests, and fuzz testing
- 300+ test cases covering all core functionality
- Continuous integration with automated test runs on every push
- See Testing Documentation for details
-
SonarQube Analysis: Automated code quality scanning on every commit
- Enforces code coverage requirements (≥80%)
- Monitors code duplication (≤3%)
- Tracks cognitive complexity and code smells
All changes are validated through GitHub Actions CI/CD pipeline, ensuring code quality and test coverage before deployment.
Features
-
Multi-Source Data Aggregation: Combines data from multiple blockchain registries:
- The Graph Networks Registry
- Chainlist RPCs
- Chain ID Network (for basic chain data and L2 relation indexing using parent field)
- SLIP-0044 Coin Types
-
Fast API: Built with Fastify for high performance
-
MCP Server: Available as a Model Context Protocol server for AI assistants
-
Indexed Data: Efficient querying with indexed chain data
-
Search Capabilities: Search chains by name, ID, or other attributes
-
RESTful Endpoints: Clean and intuitive API design
-
Chain Relations & Tags: Automatic indexing of chain relationships and tags
- Tags:
Testnet,L2,Beacon - Relations:
testnetOf,mainnetOf,l2Of,parentOf,beaconOfwith resolved chain IDs - Example: Base Sepolia (84532) is tagged as
TestnetandL2, with relations to Base (8453) and Sepolia (11155111) - Reverse relations: Mainnets have
mainnetOfrelations pointing to testnets, L1s haveparentOfrelations pointing to L2s
- Tags:
-
RPC Health Monitoring: Automatic background monitoring of RPC endpoints to identify working and failed nodes.
-
Data Validation: Built-in validation tools to identify data inconsistencies between multiple sources (e.g., The Graph registry vs. Chainlist).
Installation
Using npm
Using Docker
Pull from GitHub Container Registry
Pre-built Docker images are automatically published to GitHub Container Registry (GHCR) on every push to the main branch:
# Pull the latest image docker pull ghcr.io/johnaverse/chains-api:latest # Or pull a specific version docker pull ghcr.io/johnaverse/chains-api:v1.1.1
Build Docker image locally
# Build the image docker build -t chains-api . # Or using docker compose docker compose build
Usage
Running with Docker
Run the REST API server
# Using pre-built image from GHCR docker run -d -p 3000:3000 --name chains-api ghcr.io/johnaverse/chains-api:latest # Or using locally built image docker run -d -p 3000:3000 --name chains-api chains-api # With custom environment variables docker run -d -p 3000:3000 \ -e PORT=3000 \ -e HOST=0.0.0.0 \ --name chains-api \ ghcr.io/johnaverse/chains-api:latest
The API will be available at http://localhost:3000.
Run the MCP HTTP server
docker run -d -p 3001:3001 \ --name chains-api-mcp \ ghcr.io/johnaverse/chains-api:latest \ node mcp-server-http.js
The MCP HTTP server will be available at http://localhost:3001.
Using Docker Compose
A docker-compose.yml file is included in the repository that runs both the REST API server on port 3000 and the MCP HTTP server on port 3001:
To use pre-built images from GHCR instead of building locally, modify the docker-compose.yml to use image: ghcr.io/johnaverse/chains-api:latest instead of build: .
The default configuration:
services: chains-api: build: . image: chains-api:latest container_name: chains-api ports: - "3000:3000" environment: - PORT=3000 - HOST=0.0.0.0 restart: unless-stopped healthcheck: test: [ "CMD", "node", "-e", "require('http').get('http://localhost:3000/health', (r) => { process.exit(r.statusCode === 200 ? 0 : 1) })", ] interval: 30s timeout: 10s retries: 3 start_period: 5s chains-api-mcp: build: . image: chains-api:latest container_name: chains-api-mcp command: node mcp-server-http.js ports: - "3001:3001" environment: - MCP_PORT=3001 - MCP_HOST=0.0.0.0 restart: unless-stopped healthcheck: test: [ "CMD", "node", "-e", "require('http').get('http://localhost:3001/health', (r) => { process.exit(r.statusCode === 200 ? 0 : 1) })", ] interval: 30s timeout: 10s retries: 3 start_period: 5s
Running with npm
REST API Server
Start the server
The server will start on http://localhost:3000 by default.
Development mode (with auto-reload)
Using a Proxy (Optional)
To route all outbound requests through a proxy server, set the PROXY_URL environment variable:
# Using a proxy without authentication PROXY_URL=http://proxy.example.com:8080 npm start # Using a proxy with authentication PROXY_URL=http://user:pass@proxy.example.com:8080 npm start
When configured, the proxy will be used for:
- All RPC endpoint health checks and monitoring
- Fetching data from external sources (The Graph, Chainlist, etc.)
The proxy configuration is optional and disabled by default. See the Environment Variables section for more details.
MCP Server (for AI Assistants)
The Chains API can also be used as an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server, allowing AI assistants like Claude to query blockchain chain data directly. Two transport modes are supported:
- Stdio Mode (for local AI assistants like Claude Desktop)
- HTTP Mode (for external clients like n8n, Make.com, etc.)
Running the MCP Server (Stdio Mode)
For local use with Claude Desktop and similar applications:
Or directly with Node.js:
Running the MCP HTTP Server (Network Mode)
For external clients that need HTTP access:
Or directly with Node.js:
The HTTP server will start on http://0.0.0.0:3001 by default (configurable via MCP_PORT and MCP_HOST environment variables).
Endpoints:
POST /mcp- MCP protocol endpoint for tool callsDELETE /mcp- Session termination endpointGET /health- Health checkGET /- Server information
Example HTTP MCP usage with curl:
# Initialize a session curl -X POST http://localhost:3001/mcp \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -H "Accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \ -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"initialize","params":{"protocolVersion":"2024-11-05","capabilities":{},"clientInfo":{"name":"my-client","version":"1.1.1"}}}' # Extract session ID from the mcp-session-id header, then call a tool: curl -X POST http://localhost:3001/mcp \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -H "Accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \ -H "mcp-session-id: <session-id>" \ -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":2,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"get_chain_by_id","arguments":{"chainId":1}}}'
MCP Server Configuration (Stdio Mode)
To use the Chains API MCP server with Claude Desktop or other MCP clients, add it to your MCP settings configuration file:
For Claude Desktop (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS):
{
"mcpServers": {
"chains-api": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/path/to/chains-api/mcp-server.js"]
}
}
}Or if you've installed the package globally:
{
"mcpServers": {
"chains-api": {
"command": "chains-api-mcp"
}
}
}Available MCP Tools
The MCP server provides the following tools for querying blockchain chain data:
- get_chains: Get all blockchain chains, optionally filtered by tag (Testnet, L2, or Beacon)
- get_chain_by_id: Get detailed information about a specific blockchain chain by its chain ID
- search_chains: Search for blockchain chains by name or other attributes
- get_endpoints: Get RPC, firehose, and substreams endpoints for a specific chain or all chains
- get_relations: Get chain relationships (testnet/mainnet, L2/L1, etc.) for a specific chain or all chains
- get_slip44: Get SLIP-0044 coin type information by coin type ID or all coin types
Each tool returns JSON data that can be used by AI assistants to answer questions about blockchain networks.
Environment Variables
Server Configuration
PORT: REST API server port (default: 3000)HOST: REST API server host (default: 0.0.0.0)MCP_PORT: MCP HTTP server port (default: 3001)MCP_HOST: MCP HTTP server host (default: 0.0.0.0)
Proxy Configuration (Optional)
PROXY_URL: HTTP/HTTPS proxy URL for all outbound requests (default: empty/disabled)- Example:
http://proxy.example.com:8080 - With authentication:
http://user:pass@proxy.example.com:8080 - When set, all RPC requests and data source fetching will route through this proxy
- Leave empty or unset to disable proxy support
- Example:
Rate Limiting
RATE_LIMIT_MAX: Maximum requests per window for global endpoints (default: 100)RATE_LIMIT_WINDOW_MS: Rate limit window in milliseconds (default: 60000 = 1 minute)RELOAD_RATE_LIMIT_MAX: Maximum/reloadrequests per window (default: 5)SEARCH_RATE_LIMIT_MAX: Maximum/searchrequests per window (default: 30)
RPC Health Check
RPC_CHECK_TIMEOUT_MS: Timeout per RPC health check call in milliseconds (default: 8000)RPC_CHECK_CONCURRENCY: Number of parallel RPC health checks (default: 8)MAX_ENDPOINTS_PER_CHAIN: Maximum RPC endpoints tested per chain (default: 5)
Data Cache
DATA_CACHE_ENABLED: Enable disk-backed startup cache (default:true)DATA_CACHE_FILE: Snapshot file path used for stale-first startup (default:.cache/chains-api-data.json)
Other
BODY_LIMIT: Maximum request body size in bytes (default: 1048576 = 1 MB)MAX_PARAM_LENGTH: Maximum URL parameter length (default: 200)MAX_SEARCH_QUERY_LENGTH: Maximum search query length (default: 200)CORS_ORIGIN: Allowed CORS origins (default:*for all origins)
See .env.example for a complete list of environment variables with example values.
API Endpoints
GET /
Get API information and available endpoints.
Response:
{
"name": "Chains API",
"version": "1.1.1",
"description": "API query service for blockchain chain data from multiple sources",
"endpoints": { ... },
"dataSources": [ ... ]
}GET /health
Health check and data status.
Response:
{
"status": "ok",
"dataLoaded": true,
"lastUpdated": "2026-02-07T14:13:42.104Z",
"totalChains": 1234
}GET /rpc-monitor
Get RPC endpoint monitoring results for all chains. At startup, a background process validates the health of the indexed RPC endpoints.
Response:
{
"isMonitoring": false,
"lastUpdated": "2026-02-07T14:13:42.104Z",
"totalEndpoints": 4236,
"testedEndpoints": 850,
"workingEndpoints": 782,
"results": [
{
"chainId": 1,
"chainName": "Ethereum Mainnet",
"url": "https://eth.rpc.pinax.network",
"status": "working",
"clientVersion": "geth/v1.14.0",
"blockNumber": 19123456,
"testedAt": "2026-02-07T14:13:42.104Z"
},
...
]
}GET /rpc-monitor/:id
Get RPC monitoring results for a specific chain by its chain ID.
Example: GET /rpc-monitor/1 (Ethereum)
Response:
{
"chainId": 1,
"chainName": "Ethereum Mainnet",
"totalEndpoints": 15,
"workingEndpoints": 12,
"lastUpdated": "2026-02-07T14:13:42.104Z",
"endpoints": [
{
"url": "https://eth.rpc.pinax.network",
"status": "working",
"clientVersion": "geth/v1.14.0",
"blockNumber": 19123456,
"error": null,
"testedAt": "2026-02-07T14:13:42.104Z"
},
...
]
}GET /chains
Get all indexed chains.
Query Parameters:
tag(optional): Filter chains by tag (e.g.,Testnet,L2,Beacon)
Example: GET /chains?tag=Testnet
Response:
{
"count": 1234,
"chains": [ ... ]
}Example Chain Object:
{
"chainId": 80002,
"name": "Amoy",
"shortName": "polygonamoy",
"theGraph-id": "polygon-amoy",
"fullName": "Polygon Amoy Testnet",
"caip2Id": "eip155:80002",
"aliases": ["amoy-testnet", "amoy"],
"nativeCurrency": {
"name": "POL",
"symbol": "POL",
"decimals": 18
},
"explorers": [ ... ],
"infoURL": "https://polygon.technology/",
"sources": ["chains", "theGraph"],
"tags": ["Testnet", "L2"],
"status": "active",
"bridges": [
{
"url": "https://bridge.polygon.technology/"
}
]
}Note: Chain info no longer includes rpc or relations fields. Use /endpoints/:id for RPC endpoints and /relations/:id for chain relations.
GET /chains/:id
Get a specific chain by its chain ID.
Example: GET /chains/80002 (Amoy)
Response:
{
"chainId": 80002,
"name": "Amoy",
"shortName": "polygonamoy",
"theGraph-id": "polygon-amoy",
"fullName": "Polygon Amoy Testnet",
"caip2Id": "eip155:80002",
"aliases": ["amoy-testnet", "amoy"],
"nativeCurrency": {
"name": "POL",
"symbol": "POL",
"decimals": 18
},
"explorers": [
{
"name": "polygonscan-amoy",
"url": "https://amoy.polygonscan.com",
"standard": "EIP3091"
}
],
"infoURL": "https://polygon.technology/",
"sources": ["chains", "theGraph"],
"tags": ["Testnet", "L2"],
"status": "active",
"bridges": [
{
"url": "https://bridge.polygon.technology/"
}
]
}GET /search?q={query}
Search chains by name or ID.
Example: GET /search?q=ethereum
Response:
{
"query": "ethereum",
"count": 15,
"results": [ ... ]
}GET /endpoints
Get endpoints (RPC, firehose, substreams) for all chains.
Response:
{
"count": 4236,
"endpoints": [
{
"chainId": 80002,
"name": "Amoy",
"rpc": [
"https://rpc-amoy.polygon.technology",
"https://polygon-amoy-bor-rpc.publicnode.com",
...
],
"firehose": [
"amoy.firehose.pinax.network:443"
],
"substreams": [
"amoy.substreams.pinax.network:443"
]
},
...
]
}GET /endpoints/:id
Get endpoints (RPC, firehose, substreams) for a specific chain by ID.
Example: GET /endpoints/80002 (Amoy)
Response:
{
"chainId": 80002,
"name": "Amoy",
"rpc": [
"https://rpc-amoy.polygon.technology",
"https://polygon-amoy-bor-rpc.publicnode.com",
"wss://polygon-amoy-bor-rpc.publicnode.com",
"https://amoy.rpc.service.pinax.network"
],
"firehose": [
"amoy.firehose.pinax.network:443"
],
"substreams": [
"amoy.substreams.pinax.network:443"
]
}GET /relations
Get all chain relations data.
Response:
{
"count": 123,
"relations": [ ... ]
}GET /relations/:id
Get relations for a specific chain by ID.
Example: GET /relations/80002
Response:
{
"chainId": 80002,
"chainName": "Amoy",
"relations": [
{
"kind": "testnetOf",
"network": "matic",
"chainId": 137,
"source": "theGraph"
},
{
"kind": "l2Of",
"network": "sepolia",
"chainId": 11155111,
"source": "theGraph"
}
]
}GET /sources
Get status of data sources.
Response:
{
"lastUpdated": "2026-02-07T14:13:42.104Z",
"sources": {
"theGraph": "loaded",
"chainlist": "loaded",
"chains": "loaded",
"slip44": "loaded"
}
}GET /export
Export the disk cache snapshot file (DATA_CACHE_FILE) as JSON.
Returns:
200with JSON snapshot content when the file exists404when the cache file does not exist503when cache is disabled (DATA_CACHE_ENABLED=false)
Response (example):
{
"schemaVersion": 1,
"writtenAt": "2026-02-23T12:34:56.000Z",
"data": {
"lastUpdated": "2026-02-23T12:34:56.000Z",
"indexed": {
"byChainId": {},
"byName": {},
"all": []
}
}
}GET /slip44
Get all SLIP-0044 coin types as JSON. The table from the markdown file is converted to JSON format using "Coin type" as the key (id).
Response:
{
"count": 1279,
"coinTypes": {
"0": {
"coinType": 0,
"pathComponent": "0x80000000",
"symbol": "BTC",
"coin": "Bitcoin"
},
"60": {
"coinType": 60,
"pathComponent": "0x8000003c",
"symbol": "ETH",
"coin": "Ether"
}
}
}GET /slip44/:coinType
Get a specific SLIP-0044 coin type by its coin type ID.
Example: GET /slip44/60 (Ethereum)
Response:
{
"coinType": 60,
"pathComponent": "0x8000003c",
"symbol": "ETH",
"coin": "Ether"
}POST /reload
Reload data from all sources.
Response:
{
"status": "success",
"lastUpdated": "2026-02-07T14:13:42.104Z",
"totalChains": 1234
}GET /validate
Validate chain data for potential human errors across all three data sources.
This endpoint analyzes the chain data and identifies potential inconsistencies or errors based on the following rules:
- Rule 1 - Relation Conflicts: Assumes graph relations are always true and finds conflicts with other sources
- Rule 2 - slip44/Testnet Mismatch: Chains with slip44=1 but isTestnet=false
- Rule 3 - Name/Tag Mismatch: Chain full names containing "Testnet" or "Devnet" but not tagged as Testnet
- Rule 4 - Sepolia/Hoodie Networks: Chains containing "sepolia" or "hoodie" keywords but not identifying as L2 or having no relations
- Rule 5 - Status Conflicts: Deprecated status conflicts across different sources
- Rule 6 - Goerli Deprecation: Chains containing "Goerli" keyword but not marked as deprecated
Response:
{
"totalErrors": 85,
"summary": {
"rule1": 3,
"rule2": 57,
"rule3": 16,
"rule4": 1,
"rule5": 1,
"rule6": 7
},
"errorsByRule": {
"rule1_relation_conflicts": [...],
"rule2_slip44_testnet_mismatch": [...],
"rule3_name_testnet_mismatch": [...],
"rule4_sepolia_hoodie_issues": [...],
"rule5_status_conflicts": [...],
"rule6_goerli_not_deprecated": [...]
},
"allErrors": [...]
}Example Error Object:
{
"rule": 6,
"chainId": 5,
"chainName": "Goerli",
"type": "goerli_not_deprecated",
"message": "Chain 5 (Goerli) contains \"Goerli\" but is not marked as deprecated",
"fullName": "Goerli",
"status": "active",
"statusInSources": []
}Data Structure
Chain Object (from /chains endpoints)
Each chain object returned from /chains and /chains/:id contains:
chainId: The chain ID (extracted from caip2Id for The Graph data)name: Full name of the chainshortName: Short name/symboltheGraph-id: The Graph network identifier (if available from The Graph)fullName: Full network name (if available from The Graph)caip2Id: CAIP-2 identifier, e.g., "eip155:1" (if available from The Graph)aliases: Alternative names array (if available from The Graph)nativeCurrency: Native currency informationexplorers: Array of block explorersinfoURL: Information URLsources: Array of data sources that provided this chain's datastatus: Chain status - defaults to"active"when not present in any data sourcetags: Array of tags (e.g., "Testnet", "L2", "Beacon")bridges: Array of bridge URLs (if available from chainlist or chains.jsonparent.bridgesfield)
Note: Chain objects no longer include rpc or relations fields. Use /endpoints/:id for RPC endpoints and /relations/:id for relations.
Endpoints Object (from /endpoints endpoints)
Each endpoints object returned from /endpoints and /endpoints/:id contains:
chainId: The chain IDname: Chain namerpc: Array of RPC endpoints (strings or objects with url and metadata)firehose: Array of The Graph firehose endpoints (if available)substreams: Array of The Graph substreams endpoints (if available)
Relations Object (from /relations/:id endpoint)
Relations data contains:
chainId: The chain IDchainName: Chain namerelations: Array of relations to other chains- Each relation contains:
kind,network(network ID), optionallychainId(resolved chain ID), andsource(data source) - Relation kinds:
testnetOf,mainnetOf,l2Of,parentOf,beaconOf - Relation sources:
theGraph,chainlist,chains - Reverse relations: After all relations are indexed, reverse relations are automatically created:
mainnetOf: Added to mainnets pointing to their testnets (reverse oftestnetOf)parentOf: Added to L1 chains pointing to their L2 chains (reverse ofl2Of)
- chainlist relations: When
slip44 === 1orisTestnet === true, finds mainnet by matchingtvlfield value with chains whereisTestnet === false- Note:
tvlmatching is based on chainlist data structure; this field may represent a chain identifier rather than Total Value Locked in some contexts
- Note:
- chains.json relations: When
parent.type === "L2", createsl2Ofrelation using parent chain ID extracted fromparent.chainfield (format:eip155-<chainId>)- Example: Mode Testnet (919) has
parent: { type: "L2", chain: "eip155-11155111" }, creating al2Ofrelation to Sepolia (11155111)
- Example: Mode Testnet (919) has
- Each relation contains:
SLIP-0044 Data Structure
Each SLIP-0044 coin type object contains:
coinType: The coin type number (used as the key/id)pathComponent: BIP-0044 path component in hexadecimalsymbol: Coin symbolcoin: Full coin name
Documentation
More detailed information about project internals and testing can be found in the docs folder:
- Project Structure: Detailed explanation of files and directories
- Testing: Comprehensive guide to the testing strategy (Unit, Integration, and Fuzz testing)
Contributing
We welcome contributions to the Chains API project! Whether you're fixing bugs, improving documentation, or proposing new features, your contributions are appreciated.
How to Contribute
- Fork the repository and create your branch from
main - Make your changes with clear, descriptive commit messages
- Add or update tests to cover your changes
- Ensure all tests pass by running
npm test - Verify code quality - your changes will be automatically scanned by SonarQube
- Submit a pull request with a clear description of your changes
Code Quality Standards
All contributions must meet our quality standards:
- ✅ All tests must pass (300+ test cases)
- ✅ Code coverage ≥ 80%
- ✅ Code duplication ≤ 3%
- ✅ No critical code smells or security vulnerabilities
- ✅ Cognitive complexity within acceptable limits
These standards are automatically enforced through our CI/CD pipeline and SonarQube analysis.
Areas for Contribution
- 🐛 Bug fixes and issue resolution
- 📚 Documentation improvements
- ✨ New features and enhancements
- 🧪 Additional test coverage
- 🔍 Data validation and quality improvements
- 🌐 Support for additional blockchain networks
Questions or Issues?
If you have questions or encounter issues, please open an issue on GitHub.
License
MIT