net

The net namespace provides network-related methods that are part of the standard Ethereum JSON-RPC API. These methods offer information about the node's network connectivity, peer count, and network version. In Erigon, the net namespace is implemented through the NetAPI interface and NetAPIImpl struct.

The net namespace is not in the default --http.api list, so add net to enable it. It provides essential network information that applications use to understand the node's connectivity status and network configuration.

For API usage refer to the official resource below:

• https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/apis/json-rpc/

Implementation Details

• The net namespace is implemented in NetAPIImpl which uses the ethBackend to access network information.
• net_listening determines connectivity by attempting to retrieve peer information from the backend.
• net_version and net_peerCount require access to the backend and will return errors in --datadir mode when the backend is unavailable.

Backend Dependency

• The methods net_version and net_peerCount require the ethBackend to be available.
• When running in --datadir mode or when the backend cannot be accessed, these methods will return a "not available" error.
• The net_listening method gracefully handles backend unavailability by returning false .

Network Information Usage

• net_version is commonly used by applications to verify they're connected to the correct Ethereum network.
• net_peerCount helps monitor node connectivity and network health.
• net_listening provides a basic connectivity check for the node's network interface.

Availability and Configuration

• The net namespace is not enabled by default (the erigon binary's --http.api default is eth,erigon,engine and the standalone rpcdaemon's is eth,erigon); add net to --http.api to enable it.
• These methods are available on both HTTP and WebSocket connections.
• For remote RPC Daemon setups, the net namespace must be explicitly enabled for health check functionality.

Documentation References

• The current implementation shows some limitations noted in the documentation, such as hardcoded return values in certain scenarios.
• net_peerCount specifically counts only internal sentries, which may not reflect the total peer count in distributed setups.