It is undeniable that blockchain technology and Web3 development have taken the world by storm. Businesses and organizations are more commonly getting into the space, and this new ”phase” of the internet is transforming most sectors of the economy. Blockchains are essentially immutable distributed ledgers containing data. A prominent example is the Polygon network. As the Polygon blockchain contains information, it is essential that you as a developer have access to this on-chain data in real-time. Accessing this information can provide a more compelling UX (user experience) for all customers. As such, we’ll dedicate this article to diving deeper into how to pull data from Polygon blockchain.
From a conventional perspective, pulling data from any blockchain has been quite a hassle. However, this is where Moralis enters the picture to provide a more accessible developer experience. The underlying backend infrastructure and tools such as Moralis’ Web3 syncs make this process significantly easier. However, this is only one prominent example of how Moralis can aid your development endeavors. Moralis additionally makes Web3 authentication more accessible. This, combined with Moralis’ NFT API and Web3 API, allows you to easily create tokens and dapps (decentralized applications).
For example, with the accessibility of Moralis, you can create a Web3 Spotify clone and maybe come to revolutionize the music industry. What’s more, if you are interested in token development, make sure to check out our article on how to build a minting dapp!
As such, if you are looking to become a blockchain developer, consider signing up with Moralis. Not only does it take a couple of seconds, but you can create your very own account entirely for free!
What is a Blockchain?
Before we tackle the main topic of how to pull data from Polygon blockchain, we need to cover the basics. As such, we will dedicate this section to exploring the intricacies of blockchains and what this technology entails. So, without further ado, let’s try to answer the question, “what is a blockchain?”.
The notion of a blockchain was initially introduced as early as the nineties but gained attention with Bitcoin’s launch. A blockchain is essentially a form of digital and decentralized ledger recording, sharing, and synchronizing transaction and smart contract data.
Blockchains generally maintain a network of individual computers or devices called “nodes”. These nodes act as validators ensuring that the network remains safe. These are the ones responsible for tracking and recording the data of the various blockchains. The data validated by these nodes are then organized and stored in blocks linked together to form a larger chain. These blocks are generally available to the public and distributed across all nodes in the network.
Blockchains provide an abundance of benefits compared to more conventional databases. One example is the decentralized nature of this technology, eliminating the need for intermediaries and third-party oversight. In addition, blockchains are safe and secure, preventing hackers from accessing them. In combination with being virtually unhackable, blockchains are also entirely immutable. As a result, it prevents anyone from tampering with the records, which is another layer of security for the network’s users.
Now, with a somewhat better understanding of blockchain technology, we can move on and take a closer look at what the Polygon blockchain entails!
What is Polygon Blockchain?
To fully understand what the Polygon blockchain is and why the network came to be, a good starting point is Ethereum. Ethereum is the dominant blockchain for Web3 development. However, the network has experienced issues with congestion. This is a direct effect of the massive adoption that the network has seen, something that the infrastructure was not equipped to handle. Furthermore, the congestion issues drive up Ethereum gas fees, making it economically unviable to develop on this network.
To solve the congestion problems of Ethereum, we saw the rise of “scaling solutions”. One of the most prominent examples here is Polygon. Polygon wants to see a “Web3 for all” and is a decentralized scaling platform for Ethereum. This allows developers to use Polygon to build dapps and other projects with lower transaction costs. All while maintaining the same degree of security as the Ethereum blockchain.
Polygon can achieve higher scalability and lower fees thanks to its PoS (proof-of-stake) consensus mechanism. Furthermore, the mechanism requires network participants to stake their tokens in exchange for becoming validators. The network will reward you with more MATIC (the native token of Polygon) if you complete this task. Compared with Ethereum – which utilizes a PoW (proof-of-work) consensus mechanism – this is more efficient for scalability.
As mentioned, MATIC is the native token of Polygon, which is an ERC-20 token. This means that the MATIC token is compatible with other Ethereum-based currencies. This token is also how the network is kept safe. Network participants use MATIC to pay for transactions that the network facilitates.
With a more profound understanding of the Polygon network, we can move on and look closer at why it is important to extract data from chains, which is one of the main topics of this “How to Pull Data from Polygon Blockchain” article!
Why is it Important to Pull Data from Blockchains?
It does not matter if you are building a Web3 project from scratch, an NFT marketplace, or simply want to bridge an existing company to Web3; it is essential to be able to pull data from and index blockchains.
On-chain data is at the heart of all Web3 projects and dapps, as the information contained within these blockchains is essential for a good UX. As such, it is important that you sync everything from user balances to transaction histories.
Accordingly, if you want to create Polygon dapps, you must pull data from Polygon blockchain. This will allow you to create more sophisticated dapps providing further value to your customers. However, from a conventional perspective, it has been quite difficult to index the blockchain as it requires an abundance of time and resources.
Fortunately, you do not have to stress about this with Moralis. With Moralis’ Web3 syncs, you can easily pull data from Polygon blockchain without any issues. Implementing blockchain syncs with Moralis allows you to detect new transactions and events – even in unconfirmed states – in a transaction table that is updated in real-time. As a result, you can pull data from Polygon blockchain without any heavy lifting.
Moreover, Moralis’ Web3 syncs are cross-chain compatible. As such, you are not only able to pull data from Polygon blockchain but other networks alike. This suggests you have the potential to develop sophisticated dapps for additional chains. If this interests you, please check out our guides on how to build Ethereum dapps or how to create BSC dapps!
How to Pull Data from Polygon Blockchain with Moralis
From a conventional perspective, pulling data from Polygon blockchain has been quite the hassle. Fortunately for you, this is no longer the case with Moralis, as the platform allows you to easily index any blockchain. However, even though the task becomes significantly more accessible when working with Moralis, you might still have questions regarding the process. Thus, this section will examine how you can pull data from Polygon blockchain in the following three steps:
- Creating a Moralis Dapp
- Getting a Contract Address and ABI
- Adding a Sync Event
If you would rather watch a video of the entire process, please check out the guide from Moralis’ YouTube channel. The video guide is in relation to the Ethereum network, but the same principles apply to the Polygon blockchain. Based on this – and to be consistent with the video – we will create a Web3 sync for CryptoPunks transfers on the Ethereum chain in this article. However, if you have another contract in mind on the Polygon network, you can still use the same steps to pull data from Polygon blockchain.
If you have further interest in NFTs, make sure to check out the excellent guide on NFT use cases. But, with no further ado, let’s advance and take a closer look at how you can create a Moralis dapp!
Pull Data from Polygon Blockchain – Creating a Moralis Dapp
If you have not already, the first thing you will need to do is create a Moralis account. This only takes a couple of seconds, and setting up your account is free. With an account at hand, you can create your dapp by hitting the “+ Create New Dapp” button.
This will open a new window in your browser where you must select an environment and network(s), pick a region, and finally name your dapp. In this case, we want to create a Web3 sync for CryptoPunks, so we will choose the Ethereum mainnet. However, if you would rather want to extract data from Polygon blockchain, your choice of network should be consistent with this.
Moreover, selecting a region should be based on your geographical location, and the name is entirely up to you. Once you are done with all options, all that remains is to hit the “Create Your Dapp” button to spin up the server.
Pull Data from Polygon Blockchain – Getting the Contract Address and ABI
With a server at your disposal, the second step is to fetch the contract address and a smart contract ABI for the CryptoPunks smart contract. As CryptoPunks is based on the Ethereum network, we can utilize Etherscan. If you instead have a Polygon-based contract in mind, you can use PolygonScan instead.
Once you navigate to Etherscan, you can go ahead and search for “CryptoPunks” in the search bar of the website and click on the proper alternative. Make sure to click on the alternative with a checkmark by the name to get the appropriate contract.
When you arrive at the page for CryptoPunks, you can first of all copy the contract address at the bottom right and save this for later:
To acquire the ABI, you need to click on the same address in Etherscan and scroll down until you find a navigation bar with a couple of options. The one you are looking for is the “Contract” tab. Once you click this alternative, you need to ensure that you make sure you are in the “Code” section:
You can then scroll down to “Contract ABI”. From there, you need to find the right section of the code used to track CryptoPunks’ transfers, which is the part of the array named “PunkTransfers”:
With both the address and the ABI, we can move on to the final step, where we create the actual Web3 sync using Moralis!
Pull Data from Polygon Blockchain – Adding a Sync Event
To add a new sync event, you need to navigate back to the Moralis admin panel. From there, you can click on the “Settings” button for the server in question. This will open a new menu, and you will find the tab for “Syncs” on the far left. Once you navigate there, you can begin adding a new sync event by clicking “+ New Smart Contract Event Sync”.
You can go ahead and click on the “Custom Event” alternative. This will take you to the second stage of adding the blockchain sync, where you must add both the address and the ABI you fetched in the previous step.
With both these fields filled in, you can select a topic, name the table, and add a description. In our case, we will name the table “TransferPunks” and add a description of the same label. From there, you can decide if you want to include historical data, which we are opting for. Now, all that remains is to hit the “Proceed” button, and you will add the sync to your Moralis dapp!
The Results of Moralis’ Web3 Syncs
Now that the sync is added to your dapp, you can view details regarding current and future events in your database. To find this information, you can navigate back to Moralis and click on “Settings” again. Next up, you can click on the tab for the dashboard and simply launch the page for the database by hitting “Access Database”.
You will now have access to the new class “TransferPunks” in the database, which was automatically added through the sync. It should look something like this:
Keep in mind that this was related to the Ethereum blockchain. However, if you are indexing data from Polygon, you should be able to follow the same process with a few tweaks here and there. As such, you will now most likely have sufficient knowledge to pull data from Polygon blockchain with ease!
Pull Data from Polygon Blockchain – Summary
Herein, we took a closer look at how to pull data from Polygon blockchain. However, before we dove deeper into the intricacies of blockchain indexing, we initiated the article by going over the basics. In doing so, we briefly explained what blockchains are and further focused on the Polygon network.
Next up, we learned more about the importance of indexing blockchain data. With the continuously changing state of blockchains, it is essential to have the latest data available. This provides a more compelling UX for all users. However, from a historical perspective, it has been quite challenging to index the blockchain. Fortunately, this is no longer the case as Moralis’ Web3 syncs make it more accessible to index and sync on-chain data. In fact, thanks to Moralis, we can pull data from Polygon blockchain using the following three steps:
- Creating a Moralis Dapp
- Getting a Contract Address and ABI
- Adding a Sync Event
Moreover, even though these steps are related to CryptoPunks and the Ethereum network, the same principles and fundaments for indexing work just as well for Polygon’s blockchain. As such, you can follow the same process to pull data from Polygon blockchain.
If you fund this guide beneficial and want more amazing blockchain-related content, please make sure to visit the Moralis blog. At the blog, you will, among other things, find content teaching you how to listen to smart contract transactions in real-time, authenticate dapp users with MetaMask, run a smart contract with Unity, and much more.
You can also learn how to authenticate Web3 users and set up your own Web3 webhooks with ease! This will allow you to create advanced Web3 projects in no time and beat your competitors to market. So, if you strive to become a blockchain developer, sign up with Moralis immediately!
