OP Stack L2 · Coinbase

Base RPC — Coinbase’s Ethereum L2

rpcfree.com provides a free public JSON-RPC endpoint for Base (chain ID 8453). No signup, no API key required. 333,000 calls per day. Supports archive data, trace methods, and is compatible with MetaMask, ethers.js, viem, and hardhat.

HTTPS endpoint LIVE

https://rpcfree.com/base-rpc

Chain ID 8453 (0x2105) · Currency ETH · Block time ~2s · L1 finality ~7 days (challenge window on official bridge)

Bridge funds Try in browser

Live from this RPC

Values refresh every 12 seconds via public dRPC while rpcfree RPC is paused. Gas is shown in Gwei (wei ÷ 10⁹).

Latest block —

Suggested gas price —

Round-trip latency —

Quick start with viem

The Base ecosystem often standardises on viem — this sample mirrors common production setup.

import { createPublicClient, http } from "viem";
import { base } from "viem/chains";

const client = createPublicClient({
  chain: base,
  transport: http("https://rpcfree.com/base-rpc")
});

const block = await client.getBlockNumber();
const balance = await client.getBalance({ address: "0xd8dA6BF26964aF9D7eEd9e03E53415D37aA96045" });

// Base-specific: read L1 block number from the L2 precompile
const l1Number = await client.readContract({
  address: "0x4200000000000000000000000000000000000015",
  abi: [
    { name: "number", type: "function", stateMutability: "view", inputs: [], outputs: [{ type: "uint64" }] }
  ],
  functionName: "number"
});

Bridging guide

Cross-layer UX is where most user tickets originate — deposits, exits, and fee transparency.

Ethereum → Base (deposit)

Method	Speed	Cost	Use when
Official bridge (bridge.base.org)	~15 min	L1 gas only	Any token, full security
CCTP (Circle, USDC)	~20 min	L1 gas + small fee	USDC-native mint flow
Across, Stargate, Hop, …	1–3 min	0.05–0.3% typical	Speed-critical, smaller sizes

Base → Ethereum (withdraw)

The optimistic rollup challenge period is 7 days on the canonical path:

Initiate withdraw on Base (fast inclusion on L2).
Wait for the state root to be proposed on L1 (~up to ~1h depending on traffic).
Submit the proof on L1 (one transaction).
Wait the 7-day challenge window.
Finalize on L1 (one transaction).

Third-party bridges pool liquidity and absorb the lockup risk — useful when your product cannot surface a week-long wait.

Reading L1 state from Base contracts

The L1 attributes precompile at 0x4200000000000000000000000000000000000015 exposes number(), timestamp(), basefee(), and hash() — handy for oracles, time-locks anchored to L1 time, and cross-domain checks.

Why Base vs other rollups?

Operated alongside Coinbase’s consumer distribution.
ETH as native gas — no separate governance token for gas.
Strong social and wallet-adjacent app ecosystem.
OP Stack alignment with Optimism — portable deployment patterns.

Try it now

Copy and run in your terminal:

curl -X POST https://rpcfree.com/base-rpc \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_blockNumber","params":[],"id":1}'

Or click to test live:

Method: Response time: CU cost:

Useful links

Official site Developer docs Bridge portal Explorer

Free vs Pro

Limit	Free (no signup)	Etox Pro
CU / month	10M	300M
CU / day	333,333	unlimited
Req / sec	10	100
L1 data fee context	included (rollup)	included (rollup)
Archive data	Yes	Yes
trace / debug API	Yes	Yes
Withdrawal UX helper	—	Roadmap
API key	not required	included

Need more throughput? etox.io — Pro from $49/mo, 300M CU/month, 100 req/sec.

FAQ — Base

What is Base and who runs it?

Base is an Ethereum Layer 2 network built and operated by Coinbase, the largest publicly traded crypto exchange in the US. It launched in August 2023, uses ETH for gas (no separate token), and was designed for consumer apps with low fees and fast confirmations.

Base inherits Ethereum’s security through optimistic rollup technology — transactions execute cheaply on Base, then batches are posted back to Ethereum mainnet for final settlement. This gives users near-instant 2-second blocks at a fraction of Ethereum’s gas costs.

How much cheaper is Base compared to Ethereum?

Roughly 100× to 1000× cheaper depending on the tx type and L1 conditions. A simple ETH transfer on Ethereum mainnet often costs $1–10. The same transfer on Base typically costs $0.001–0.05.

Swaps on Uniswap or other DEXs: Ethereum might be $5–50 per swap, Base $0.05–0.50. NFT mints on Ethereum can cost $20+; on Base, usually under $0.50. The savings come from batching — Base pays for one Ethereum transaction every few minutes and spreads that cost across thousands of Base transactions.

How do I get ETH on Base?

Three main ways:

Buy directly on Coinbase — if you have a Coinbase account, you can buy ETH and send it directly to Base from the exchange (no bridge needed). This is often the cheapest and easiest method.
Use the official Base bridge at bridge.base.org — deposits from Ethereum to Base take ~15 minutes and cost only the Ethereum gas fee.
Use third-party bridges like Across, Stargate, or Hop — instant transfers from Ethereum, Arbitrum, Polygon, or other chains for a small fee (typically 0.05–0.3%).

Once you have ETH on Base, you can use it for gas on any Base dApp.

How do I add Base to MetaMask?

The easiest way: visit chainlist.org, search “Base,” and click “Add to MetaMask” — your wallet handles the rest in one click.

Manually, in MetaMask: Settings → Networks → Add a network → Add network manually:

Network name: Base
RPC URL: https://rpcfree.com/base-rpc
Chain ID: 8453
Currency symbol: ETH
Block explorer URL: https://basescan.org

Same process for wallets that support custom EVM chains (Rabby, Frame, Coinbase Wallet, etc.).

Why does it take 7 days to move funds from Base back to Ethereum?

Because Base is an optimistic rollup, withdrawals enter a 7-day “challenge period” where anyone can dispute fraudulent withdrawals. This is the security mechanism that lets Base inherit Ethereum’s trustworthiness.

If you don’t want to wait 7 days, use third-party bridges like Across, Hop, or Stargate. They provide near-instant withdrawals for a small fee (0.05–0.3%) by taking on the 7-day lockup risk themselves and exiting later. Deposits from Ethereum to Base, on the other hand, are fast — about 15 minutes.

Is Base a separate cryptocurrency? Should I buy “BASE” tokens?

Base does not have its own token. There’s no “BASE” coin. Anyone selling you “BASE tokens” is running a scam.

Base uses ETH for gas and operations. Coinbase has explicitly stated they have no plans to launch a Base token. If you’re using Base, all you need is ETH bridged from Ethereum or sent directly from Coinbase. This is intentional — keeping ETH as the only token reduces complexity and aligns Base’s economic model with Ethereum’s.