Data API Overview
The Data API provides the ability to access blocks, transactions, and balances of any blockchain in a standard format.
For a full list of expectations of any Rosetta API implementation, please take a look at the documents in the Expectations section. We also recommend taking a look at the Common Mistakes page for a list of a few mistakes implementers tend to make when meeting these expectations.
Flow of Operations
Effortless Exchange Support
For developers of new blockchain projects, the Data API makes it easier to integrate with exchanges that support the Rosetta API (like Coinbase). This can dramatically speed up the time it takes exchanges to integrate with new blockchains without making compromises that could put customer funds at risk.
Unified Abstraction for All Blockchains
The number of blockchains has grown dramatically in recent years, and with it has come a proliferation of different APIs that must be used to access blocks, transactions, and balances. Often times, it is with good reason that blockchain teams introduce new mechanisms to retrieve blockchain data as new blockchains often introduce new abstractions that don't fit cleanly into existing models. Other times, blockchain teams don't know what developers would prefer and choose to model access to their blockchain in the way that they would expect to be most convenient based on some approach another blockchain takes.
We do not believe it is possible to cram all possible models of blockchain data into a perfect one-size-fits-all abstraction (there will always be nuance and new approaches that push the envelope of any abstraction). That being said, we firmly believe the standard endpoints, standard structure of data, and standard communication protocol specified in the Data API go a long way in making blockchain integration much faster, easier, and reliable for everyone involved.
Instant Ecosystem
For the broader community of crypto developers, the Data API makes it easier to build cross-blockchain applications such as block explorers, wallets and dApps. Instead of writing custom parsing for every blockchain, applications can use a blockchain project’s Rosetta API implementation to read all interesting information; minimizing code and simplifying maintenance.
If you have any questions about the Data API, reach out in our Discord!