Ethereum: debug_traceTransaction on a full node not working

Ethereum: Debugging debug.traceTransaction on a Full Node Not Working

As a full node developer, you’re likely no stranger to running Ethereum nodes and querying their internal state. However, when trying to use the debug.traceTransaction command on a full node, you may encounter unexpected behavior or errors.

In this article, we’ll delve into the details of the issue and provide a step-by-step solution to help you troubleshoot and resolve the problem.

The Issue

When using debug.traceTransaction, you need to pass the transaction ID as a string argument. In your case, the error message indicates that the node is unable to process the transaction due to a missing argument:

TypeError: Cannot read property 'address' of undefined

This error occurs because the debug command expects the transaction ID as an integer value, but you’re passing it as a string.

Debugging Steps

To resolve this issue, follow these steps:

• Check your node configuration: Ensure that your full node is configured to use the correct API version. The default API version for full nodes is 4.x, but in your case, you might be using an older version.

• Verify transaction IDs

  : Double-check that your transaction ID (in this case, 0x4883a2cd5a260723ae65b88787d153864938e0cf0b811bc0597a80e3e820777a) is correct and matches the expected format.

• Check for typos or formatting issues: Run your node with the following command:

node --debug-full --network=mainnet --miner=eth2 --max-params 20000 --rpc-pools=4 --rpc-timeout=100000 --rpc-blockstore=uniswap-v2-rpc --rpc-api-version=4.7

This will help you identify any typos or formatting issues in your transaction ID.

• Verify the node’s internal state: Use debug.geth call to inspect the node’s internal state and verify that it matches the expected output for a successful debug.traceTransaction. For example:

node --debug-full --network=mainnet --miner=eth2 --max-params 20000 --rpc-pools=4 --rpc-timeout=100000 --rpc-blockstore=uniswap-v2-rpc --rpc-api-version=4.7

geth call debug.traceTransaction '0x4883a2cd5a260723ae65b88787d153864938e0cf0b811bc0597a80e3e820777a'

This should output the expected information regarding the transaction, including its ID and associated data.

Solution

If the above steps don’t resolve the issue, try updating your node to the latest version using geth update. Additionally, ensure that you’re running a compatible version of the Ethereum client.

By following these steps, you should be able to troubleshoot and resolve any issues related to the debug.traceTransaction command on your full node.