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NEAR Data API

NEAR Data API is the recent block and shard surface. Use it when you want fresh block slices, contract-touch monitoring, helper redirects, or optimistic-versus-finalized confirmation without turning the product into a streaming API.

Base URLs​

NEAR Data API Mainnet
https://mainnet.neardata.xyz
NEAR Data API Testnet
https://testnet.neardata.xyz

Best fit​

  • Polling for recent finalized or optimistic blocks.
  • Detecting whether a live contract showed up or changed state in a recent block.
  • Comparing optimistic signals with finalized confirmation.
  • Inspecting one recent shard after you already know which block matters.

When not to use it​

  • Use RPC Reference for canonical JSON-RPC methods and transaction submission.
  • Use Snapshots for infrastructure bootstrap rather than live reads.

Auth and availability​

  • The same FastNear API key works here too; public reads can still use an optional apiKey query parameter on supported traffic.
  • An invalid API key returns 401 before the redirect helpers run, so invalid-key debugging will not surface the canonical target URL.
  • Add ?network=testnet to switch compatible pages to testnet defaults.

Common starting points​

Need a workflow?​

Use NEAR Data API Examples for worked examples like contract-touch detection, optimistic-versus-finalized comparison, and shard-local change inspection.

Troubleshooting​

Some endpoints redirect instead of returning the final payload directly​

That is expected on redirect-style helpers. Follow the canonical target if your client needs the final resource.

A block response is null​

That usually means the requested height does not exist on that network or the request is outside the expected freshness/archive range.

I need streaming, not polling​

This surface is for polling-oriented near-realtime reads. Do not position it as a websocket or webhook product.