queryNetwork/genesisConfiguration

Query the genesis configuration for a specific era

Query the genesis configuration for a specific Cardano era. Genesis configuration contains fundamental network parameters that were set at the start of each era.

Request

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "queryNetwork/genesisConfiguration",
  "params": {
    "era": "shelley"
  }
}

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`era`	`string`	Yes	Era to query: `byron`, `shelley`, `alonzo`, or `conway`

Response (Shelley Era)

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "queryNetwork/genesisConfiguration",
  "result": {
    "era": "shelley",
    "networkMagic": 764824073,
    "network": "mainnet",
    "startTime": "2020-07-29T21:44:51Z",
    "securityParameter": 2160,
    "epochLength": 432000,
    "slotsPerKesPeriod": 129600,
    "maxKesEvolutions": 62,
    "slotLength": { "milliseconds": 1000 },
    "updateQuorum": 5,
    "maxLovelaceSupply": 45000000000000000,
    "initialParameters": {
      "minFeeCoefficient": 44,
      "minFeeConstant": { "ada": { "lovelace": 155381 } },
      "maxBlockBodySize": { "bytes": 65536 },
      "maxBlockHeaderSize": { "bytes": 1100 },
      "maxTransactionSize": { "bytes": 16384 },
      "stakeCredentialDeposit": { "ada": { "lovelace": 2000000 } },
      "stakePoolDeposit": { "ada": { "lovelace": 500000000 } },
      "stakePoolRetirementEpochBound": 18,
      "desiredNumberOfStakePools": 500,
      "stakePoolPledgeInfluence": "3/10",
      "monetaryExpansion": "3/1000",
      "treasuryExpansion": "1/5",
      "extraEntropy": "neutral"
    }
  }
}

Response Fields

Core Network Parameters

Field	Type	Description
`era`	`string`	Era of this configuration
`networkMagic`	`number`	Network identifier (764824073 for mainnet)
`network`	`string`	Network name (`mainnet` or `testnet`)
`startTime`	`string`	ISO 8601 timestamp of era start
`securityParameter`	`number`	Number of blocks for finality (k=2160)
`epochLength`	`number`	Slots per epoch (432000 = 5 days)
`slotLength`	`object`	Duration of each slot

Key Evolving Signature (KES) Parameters

Field	Type	Description
`slotsPerKesPeriod`	`number`	Slots per KES period (129600 = 36 hours)
`maxKesEvolutions`	`number`	Maximum KES evolutions (62)

KES keys must be renewed every ~93 days (slotsPerKesPeriod × maxKesEvolutions / epochLength).

Code Examples

async function getGenesisConfig(era = 'shelley') {
const response = await fetch('https://api.nacho.builders/v1/ogmios', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    'apikey': process.env.NACHO_API_KEY
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    jsonrpc: '2.0',
    method: 'queryNetwork/genesisConfiguration',
    params: { era }
  })
});

const { result } = await response.json();
return result;
}

const genesis = await getGenesisConfig('shelley');
console.log('Network:', genesis.network);
console.log('Start time:', genesis.startTime);
console.log('Max ADA supply:', genesis.maxLovelaceSupply / 1_000_000);

Era-Specific Information

Alonzo Era (Smart Contracts)

The Alonzo genesis includes Plutus script parameters:

const alonzoGenesis = await getGenesisConfig('alonzo');
console.log('Cost models:', alonzoGenesis.plutusCostModels);
console.log('Collateral percentage:', alonzoGenesis.collateralPercentage);

Conway Era (Governance)

The Conway genesis includes governance parameters for CIP-1694:

const conwayGenesis = await getGenesisConfig('conway');
console.log('DRep voting threshold:', conwayGenesis.dRepVotingThreshold);
console.log('Committee size:', conwayGenesis.committeeSize);

Genesis configuration is immutable. Current protocol parameters may differ from initial values. Use queryLedgerState/protocolParameters for current settings.

Use Cases

Network identification - Verify mainnet vs testnet
Time calculations - Convert between slots and timestamps
KES key management - Calculate KES period expirations
SDK configuration - Initialize Cardano libraries

Full Ogmios API Reference

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