# Read Contract

`POST /networks/read-contract`

Calls a read-only function on a smart contract. In Solidity, these use the `view` keyword.  Note: Currently only works on EVM compatible chains. 

{% hint style="info" %}

* Request headers required. See [Request Headers](/d/advanced-topics/authentication/request-headers.md) for more information.
* Authentication required. See [Authentication Headers](/d/advanced-topics/authentication/request-headers.md#authentication-headers) for more information.
  {% endhint %}

## Required Permissions

No permissions are required as this only exposes public blockchain data. 

## Request body <a href="#request-body" id="request-body"></a>

<table><thead><tr><th width="173">Request body fields</th><th width="111">Required/Optional</th><th width="268">Description</th><th>Type</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><code>kind</code></td><td>Required</td><td>Specify "<code>Evm</code>".  Additional kinds will be added in the future. </td><td>Enum String</td></tr><tr><td><code>network</code></td><td>Required</td><td>Network used for the wallet (See <a href="/pages/VArTlW7ELfGWq8wdXHye#supported-networks">Supported Networks</a> for possible values)</td><td>Enum String</td></tr><tr><td><code>contract</code></td><td>Required</td><td>Address of the contract to call</td><td>String</td></tr><tr><td><code>data</code></td><td>Required</td><td>Encoded hex string indicating which function in the smart contract to call with which parameters. For more information, see the <a href="https://docs.ethers.org/v6/api/abi/#Interface-encodeFunctionData">encodeFunctionData ethersJS documentation</a>.</td><td>String</td></tr></tbody></table>

### Sample request body <a href="#sample-request" id="sample-request"></a>

```json
{
    "kind": "Evm",
    "network": "EthereumSepolia",
    "contract": "0x1c7d4b196cb0c7b01d743fbc6116a902379c7238",
    "data": "0x18160ddd"
}
```

## Response <a href="#response" id="response"></a>

### Response example <a href="#response-example" id="response-example"></a>

Note the `data` field in the response is hex encoded.

```json
{
    "kind": "Evm",
    "data": "0x000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000f"
}
```

## EthersJS / Dfns SDK Example

You can use the following code with the Dfns Typescript SDK to execute this call:&#x20;

```typescript
import { Interface } from 'ethers'

  const abi = ['function balanceOf(address owner) view returns (uint256)']

  const iface = new Interface(abi)
  const address = '0xd964d741998edc275f3800eed113378a391951d9'
  const data = iface.encodeFunctionData('balanceOf', [address])

  const { data: res } = await dfnsClient.networks.readContract({
    body: {
      kind: 'Evm',
      network: 'EthereumSepolia',
      contract: '0x6f14c02fc1f78322cfd7d707ab90f18bad3b54f5',
      data,
    },
  })

  const decoded = iface.decodeFunctionResult('balanceOf', res)[0]
  console.log(decoded)
```


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs-legacy.dfns.co/d/api-docs/networks/read-contract.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.