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SUBFROST API

Welcome to the SUBFROST API reference. This is the developer gateway to Bitcoin and the SUBFROST protocol.

What is the SUBFROST API?​

The SUBFROST API is a unified set of APIs for building on Bitcoin. It gives you a single endpoint for Bitcoin Core, Esplora, Ordinals, BRC-20, and Alkanes data, plus server-side scripting and high-level REST endpoints.

The API provides:

  • JSON-RPC Gateway. Unified access to Bitcoin Core, Esplora, Ord, BRC-20, and Alkanes methods.
  • Lua Scripting. Execute custom server-side scripts with full RPC access.
  • REST API. High-level endpoints for Alkanes, BRC-20, pools, and other blockchain data.
  • Real-time Data. Access to mempool, UTXOs, inscriptions, and runes.

API endpoints​

JSON-RPC requests are made to:

https://mainnet.subfrost.io/v4/jsonrpc

Or with an API key in the path:

https://mainnet.subfrost.io/v4/YOUR_API_KEY

REST API endpoints use:

https://mainnet.subfrost.io/v4/api/<route>

Quick example​

Get the current block height:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "btc_getblockcount",
  "params": [],
  "id": 1
}

Response:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "result": 850000,
  "id": 1
}

Available namespaces​

  • esplora_*: Electrs/Esplora block explorer API
  • ord_*: Ordinals protocol (inscriptions, runes, sats)
  • metashrew_*: indexer views
  • alkanes_*: Alkanes protocol methods
  • btc_*: Bitcoin Core RPC passthrough
  • lua_*: server-side Lua script execution

Authentication​

SUBFROST supports multiple authentication methods:

  1. API Keys. Use the /v4/<apikey> path or the x-subfrost-api-key header.
  2. CORS. Register your domain for browser-based access.
  3. Alias Routes. Use /v4/<alias> with your custom endpoint alias.

See the Authentication guide for details.

Next steps​