Kusama System RPC API

v1.0.0

Base URL

https://ksm.nownodes.ioKusama RPC

API for retrieving system-level information from Kusama via JSON-RPC.

Authentication

api-keyAuthapiKey

API Key: API_key in header

NODE

system

Retrieve the name of the chain

POST

https://ksm.nownodes.io/system_chain

Authorizations

ApiKeyAuthApiKeyAuth

API_key string

NOWNodes API key passed in the api-key header.

Returns the network name (e.g., Kusama, Polkadot) the node is connected to.

Body

application/json

JSON-RPC request to get chain name

jsonrpcstringrequired

JSON-RPC version

idstringrequired

Request identifier

methodstringrequired

Method name

paramsArray<any>required

Should be empty for this method

Response

200OK

Chain name

400Bad Request

Malformed address or application ID

401Unauthorized

Invalid API key

500Internal Server Error

Internal server error

Retrieve the name of the chain

curl -X POST 'https://ksm.nownodes.io/system_chain' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "id": "test",
    "method": "system_chain",
    "params": []
  }'

import { JsonRpcProvider } from "ethers";

const provider = new JsonRpcProvider("https://ksm.nownodes.io/system_chain");
const result = await provider.send("system_chain", []);
console.log(result);

require 'eth'
require 'json'
require 'net/http'

uri = URI('https://ksm.nownodes.io/system_chain')
request = Net::HTTP::Post.new(uri)
request['Content-Type'] = 'application/json'
request.body = '{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "system_chain",
  "params": [],
  "id": 1
}'

response = Net::HTTP.start(uri.hostname, uri.port, use_ssl: true) do |http|
  http.request(request)
end

puts JSON.parse(response.body)

from web3 import Web3

w3 = Web3(Web3.HTTPProvider("https://ksm.nownodes.io/system_chain"))
response = w3.provider.make_request("system_chain", [])
print(response)

import { createPublicClient, http } from "viem";

const client = createPublicClient({
  transport: http("https://ksm.nownodes.io/system_chain"),
});

const result = await client.request({
  method: "system_chain",
  params: [],
});

console.log(result);

const endpoint = "https://ksm.nownodes.io/system_chain";
const apiKey = "YOUR_API_KEY";

async function nownodesRequest(payload) {
  const response = await fetch(endpoint, {
    method: "POST",
    headers: {
      "Content-Type": "application/json",
      "api-key": apiKey,
    },
    body: JSON.stringify(payload),
  });

  return response.json();
}

const result = await nownodesRequest({ jsonrpc: "2.0", method: "system_chain", params: [], id: 1 });
console.log(result);

const response = await fetch('https://ksm.nownodes.io/system_chain', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
      "jsonrpc": "2.0",
      "id": "test",
      "method": "system_chain",
      "params": []
    }),
});

const data = await response.json();

import requests

payload = {
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": "test",
  "method": "system_chain",
  "params": []
}

response = requests.post('https://ksm.nownodes.io/system_chain', json=payload)
data = response.json()

require 'net/http'
require 'json'

uri = URI('https://ksm.nownodes.io/system_chain')
request = Net::HTTP::Post.new(uri)
request['Content-Type'] = 'application/json'
request.body = '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "id": "test",
    "method": "system_chain",
    "params": []
  }'

response = Net::HTTP.start(uri.hostname, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |http| http.request(request) }
data = JSON.parse(response.body)

Request Body

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": "test",
  "method": "system_chain",
  "params": []
}

200

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "result": "Kusama",
  "id": "test"
}

Retrieve custom properties from chain spec

POST

https://ksm.nownodes.io/system_properties

Authorizations

ApiKeyAuthApiKeyAuth

API_key string

NOWNodes API key passed in the api-key header.

Returns chain-specific properties such as token symbol, decimals, and address format.

Body

application/json

JSON-RPC request to get system properties

jsonrpcstringrequired

JSON-RPC version

idstringrequired

Request identifier

methodstringrequired

Method name

paramsArray<any>required

Should be empty for this method

Response

200OK

System properties of the chain

400Bad Request

Malformed address or application ID

401Unauthorized

Invalid API key

500Internal Server Error

Internal server error

Retrieve custom properties from chain spec

curl -X POST 'https://ksm.nownodes.io/system_properties' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "id": "test",
    "method": "system_properties",
    "params": []
  }'

import { JsonRpcProvider } from "ethers";

const provider = new JsonRpcProvider("https://ksm.nownodes.io/system_properties");
const result = await provider.send("system_properties", []);
console.log(result);

require 'eth'
require 'json'
require 'net/http'

uri = URI('https://ksm.nownodes.io/system_properties')
request = Net::HTTP::Post.new(uri)
request['Content-Type'] = 'application/json'
request.body = '{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "system_properties",
  "params": [],
  "id": 1
}'

response = Net::HTTP.start(uri.hostname, uri.port, use_ssl: true) do |http|
  http.request(request)
end

puts JSON.parse(response.body)

from web3 import Web3

w3 = Web3(Web3.HTTPProvider("https://ksm.nownodes.io/system_properties"))
response = w3.provider.make_request("system_properties", [])
print(response)

import { createPublicClient, http } from "viem";

const client = createPublicClient({
  transport: http("https://ksm.nownodes.io/system_properties"),
});

const result = await client.request({
  method: "system_properties",
  params: [],
});

console.log(result);

const endpoint = "https://ksm.nownodes.io/system_properties";
const apiKey = "YOUR_API_KEY";

async function nownodesRequest(payload) {
  const response = await fetch(endpoint, {
    method: "POST",
    headers: {
      "Content-Type": "application/json",
      "api-key": apiKey,
    },
    body: JSON.stringify(payload),
  });

  return response.json();
}

const result = await nownodesRequest({ jsonrpc: "2.0", method: "system_properties", params: [], id: 1 });
console.log(result);

const response = await fetch('https://ksm.nownodes.io/system_properties', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
      "jsonrpc": "2.0",
      "id": "test",
      "method": "system_properties",
      "params": []
    }),
});

const data = await response.json();

import requests

payload = {
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": "test",
  "method": "system_properties",
  "params": []
}

response = requests.post('https://ksm.nownodes.io/system_properties', json=payload)
data = response.json()

require 'net/http'
require 'json'

uri = URI('https://ksm.nownodes.io/system_properties')
request = Net::HTTP::Post.new(uri)
request['Content-Type'] = 'application/json'
request.body = '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "id": "test",
    "method": "system_properties",
    "params": []
  }'

response = Net::HTTP.start(uri.hostname, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |http| http.request(request) }
data = JSON.parse(response.body)

Request Body

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": "test",
  "method": "system_properties",
  "params": []
}

200

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "result": {
    "ss58Format": 2,
    "tokenDecimals": 12,
    "tokenSymbol": "KSM"
  },
  "id": "test"
}

Documentation

How to migrate to NOWNodes

Kusama System RPC API

Authentication

NODE

system

Retrieve the name of the chain

Authorizations

Body

Response

Retrieve custom properties from chain spec

Authorizations

Body

Response