Understand Ethereum node.js error: “Warning: call an account that is not a contract”
When you use the Ethereum API in a node.js application, it is not uncommon to meet errors related to interaction with accounts that are not contracts. In this article, we will immerse ourselves on what this error message indicates and how to resolve it.
What does the error message mean?
The warning message comes from the Ethereum node, which indicates that you are trying to call a method on an account that is not a contract. This may seem counter-intuitive, because the accounts are designed to contain Ether (ETH) and carry out various actions such as the sending, reception or execution of intelligent contracts.
In essence, this error occurs when your NODE.JS application tries to interact with an account in a way that is not authorized by its owner. There are several reasons why this could happen:
- Delivet of ownership of the account : When you create an Ethereum account, it is created as a contract or a portfolio of users (not an intelligent contract). However, in some cases, the same account is used for two purposes.
- Type of incorrect account : If your application node.js tries to call methods on an account that does not correspond to its type (for example, trying to call “eth_chainid” on the account of a user).
- Missing or incorrect API Keys : The Ethereum node may require specific authorizations or parameters, which you cannot configure correctly.
common scenarios provoking error
Here are some common reasons for which this warning message may appear:
- You are trying to recover accounts from the “ETH_ACCOUTS” table without specifying whether they belong to a contract or a user portfolio.
- Your NODE.JS application incorrectly manages the type of account when calling methods such as “getbalancia”, “Send” or “Call”.
- The Ethereum node has been configured with incorrect authorizations or parameters, leading to missing API keys.
Error resolution
To resolve this problem, make sure your Node.js application is:
- Use of a correct account type : Always check if an account belongs to a contract or user wallet.
- Specification of the account type correctly : When you access
ETH_ACCOUTS ', use the" Address "option instead of" Account ".
- Verification of missing or incorrect API keys : Check that your application uses the required authorizations and parameters provided by the Ethereum node.
Example of code to resolve the error
Here is an updated example of how you could recover the accounts from the "ETH_ -Couts" table, specifying if they belong to a contract or a portfolio of users:
Javascript
Const {web3} = require ("web3");
hand asynchronous function () {
// Configure your Ethereum node API instance
Const web3 = new web3 (new web3.providers.httpprovider ('
to try {
// Answer the accounts from the ETH_ACCOUNTS table, specifying if they belong to a contract or a portfolio of users
Constants = Await Web3.eth.Getaccounts ();
for (constant accounts) {
if (account.type === "contract") {// or you can check the type using account.data.type
Console.log (contract counts: $ {account.address});
} other {
Console.log (User account: $ {account.address});
}
}
} Catch (error) {
Console.error (error);
} Finally {
// Clean all resources
If (Web3! == Undefined && Web3.Providers) {
Web3.Providers.Clear ();
}
}
}
main();
` ‘
By following these guidelines and using the updated code, you should be able to resolve the “Warning: call an account which is not an” error when interacting with Ethereum nodes in your application Node.js.
