---
title: "2. Radix APIs"
url: "https://radix.wiki/developers/infrastructure/02-radix-apis"
version: "1.5.0"
updated: 2026-08-17
last_verified: 2026-08-17
license: CC-BY-4.0
license_url: "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
---

# 2. Radix APIs

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| Gateway Spec | [Gateway API Reference](https://docs.radixdlt.com/api-reference/gateway-api-specs.html) |
| Core Spec | [Core API Reference](https://docs.radixdlt.com/api-reference/core-api-specs.html) |

## API Overview

Radix exposes four APIs at different abstraction levels. Most developers only need the **[Gateway API](https://docs.radixdlt.com/docs/network-gateway)**.

| API | Purpose | Best For | Access |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Gateway** | High-level ledger queries and transaction submission | dApps, wallets, explorers | Public endpoints |
| **Core** | Low-level transaction and state data from nodes | Exchanges, analytics, integrators | Private / self-hosted |
| **Engine State** | Complete current ledger state at engine level | Advanced state queries | Self-hosted (requires node config) |
| **System** | Node health and diagnostics | Node operators | Local only |

## [Gateway API](https://docs.radixdlt.com/docs/network-gateway)

The [Gateway API](https://docs.radixdlt.com/api-reference/gateway-api-specs.html) is the primary interface for dApp developers. It provides entity state queries, transaction submission, stream queries, and historical state access – all via JSON POST requests with cursor-based pagination.

### Official Endpoints

| Network | URL |
| --- | --- |
| Mainnet | `https://mainnet.radixdlt.com` |
| Stokenet | `https://stokenet.radixdlt.com` |

These are rate-limited by IP. For production dApps, use a third-party provider or [run your own Gateway](/developers/infrastructure/01-running-a-node).

### Key Endpoint Groups

- `/state/*` – entity details, resource balances, metadata, vault contents
- `/transaction/*` – submit, preview, and check transaction status
- `/stream/transactions` – query committed transactions with filters
- `/status/gateway-status` – current ledger state version and epoch

Use the [Gateway SDK](/developers/frontend/02-gateway-sdk) (`@radixdlt/babylon-gateway-api-sdk`) for typed TypeScript access.

## [Core API](https://docs.radixdlt.com/docs/network-apis)

The [Core API](https://docs.radixdlt.com/api-reference/core-api-specs.html) gives direct access to a node's view of the ledger – transaction-level detail, raw state, and streaming committed transactions. It includes an **LTS (Long-Term Support) sub-API** designed for exchange integrators.

### LTS Endpoints

- `/lts/transaction/submit` – submit a notarized transaction
- `/lts/transaction/status` – check transaction status by intent hash
- `/lts/state/account-all-fungible-resource-balances` – all token balances for an account
- `/lts/transaction/construction` – get current epoch for building transactions

The [Core API](https://docs.radixdlt.com/docs/core-api-providers) requires running your own node, and in practice that is now close to the only option. Of the two providers the documentation lists, only [NowNodes](https://nownodes.io) is still operating, serving the Core API at `xrd.nownodes.io` under paid plans with a month-long free trial. The other, **Grove**, stopped running the gateway that served Radix: it [announced on 10 November 2025](https://medium.com/decentralized-infrastructure/groves-next-chapter-moving-up-the-stack-fd7ecaf0a184) that it was stepping away from operating the Grove Portal, migrated its public endpoint traffic to [Pocket Network](https://pocket.network) over that month, and has since [wound down as a company](https://www.grove.city), with all 195 repositories in its [GitHub organisation](https://github.com/buildwithgrove) archived. `radix-mainnet.rpc.grove.city` – the endpoint Radix's documentation still offers as immediate free access, capped at 5 million requests a day – no longer resolves in DNS, and neither does `portal.grove.city`. Pocket Network's public endpoints do not carry Radix, so following that step in the official docs reaches nothing at all.

## Engine State and System APIs

### Engine State API

Provides complete current state at the [Radix Engine](/contents/tech/core-protocols/radix-engine) abstraction level. More comprehensive than [Core API](https://docs.radixdlt.com/docs/network-apis) state queries but requires explicit node configuration (available since node v1.1.3.1). Useful for advanced state inspection without running a full Gateway.

### System API

Node diagnostics only – health checks, connection info, performance metrics. Used for monitoring, not application development.

## Which API Should I Use?

| Use Case | API |
| --- | --- |
| Frontend dApp reading account state | [Gateway SDK](/developers/frontend/02-gateway-sdk) |
| Submitting transactions from dApp | Gateway (via [dApp Toolkit](/developers/frontend/01-radix-dapp-toolkit)) |
| Exchange integration (deposits, withdrawals) | [Core API](https://docs.radixdlt.com/docs/network-apis) (LTS endpoints) |
| Indexing / analytics pipeline | [Core API](https://docs.radixdlt.com/docs/core-api-providers) (streaming) |
| Node health monitoring | System API |

## Next Steps

- [Gateway SDK: Reading Ledger State](/developers/frontend/02-gateway-sdk) – the typed client most applications should use over raw HTTP
- [Radix Developer Resources](/developers/radix-developer-resources) – the wider index of tooling, SDKs, and community services

## External Links

- [Gateway API reference](https://docs.radixdlt.com/api-reference/gateway-api-specs.html)
- [Core API reference](https://docs.radixdlt.com/api-reference/core-api-specs.html)
- [Gateway API providers](/contents/tech/core-protocols/radix-gateway-api)
- [Core API providers](/contents/tech/core-protocols/radix-core-api)
- [API comparison (Learn Radix)](https://learn.radixdlt.com/article/what-apis-are-relevant-to-the-radix-public-network)

Note: the previous `*.redoc.ly` spec hosts have been retired; all API specifications now live on the consolidated [Radix documentation site](https://docs.radixdlt.com/docs/network-apis).