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Metamask: Calling ABI using Metamask RPC Provider from Web3.js
When working with Ethereum-based decentralized applications (dApps), one of the common challenges is interacting with smart contracts hosted on the Ethereum network. One of the most convenient ways to do this is to use a tool like MetaMask, which provides an easy-to-use API to interact with dApps via their web interfaces.
In your case, you want to call the balanceOf method from an ERC20 smart contract (Ethereum-based token) hosted on the Ethereum network. This requires that you use Web3.js and Metamask’s RPC Provider to make the call. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Set up your MetaMask account
First, make sure you have installed and configured a MetaMask wallet in your browser. If you don’t have a MetaMask account yet, follow these steps:
- Go to [MetaMask]( in your browser.
- Click the “Create New Wallet” button.
- Follow the instructions to create a new wallet.
Step 2: Install Web3.js and configure your MetaMask RPC provider
To use Metamask’s RPC provider, you need to install Web3.js. You can do this by running the following command in your terminal:
npm install web3
After installing Web3.js, you need to configure your MetaMask account to provide an RPC endpoint for the Ethereum network.
- Go to [My Etherchain]( and create a new wallet.
- Click “Wallet” > “Add New Wallet”.
- Follow the instructions to add your wallet to My Etherchain.
- In the settings, select “Web3 Provider” as the RPC endpoint. You can choose between different providers like Infura, Alchemy or Localnode.
Step 3: Use Web3.js and Metamask’s RPC Provider to call balanceOf
Now that you have configured your MetaMask account with an RPC provider, it’s time to use Web3.js to make the balanceOf method call from the ERC20 smart contract. Here’s an example code:
const web3 = new Web3(new Web3.providers.HttpProvider('
// Select the Ethereum account associated with your MetaMask wallet
web3.eth.accounts.add('0x...');
// Call the balanceOf method from the ERC20 smart contract
web3.eth.call({
method: 'balanceOf',
params: ['0x...'],
arguments: [],
}, (error, result) => {
if (error) throw error;
console.log(result);
});
In this example, we use the eth.accounts.add method to select the Ethereum account associated with your MetaMask wallet. Then, we call the balanceOf method of the ERC20 smart contract using Web3’s eth.call method.
Conclusion
With these steps, you have successfully used Metamask’s RPC provider from Web3.js to call the balanceOf method from an ERC20 smart contract hosted on the Ethereum network. By following this guide, you can easily interact with dApps built on Ethereum using MetaMask and Web3.js.