Metamask: How often can I use `contract.methods.some_method.call()` to read data?

MetaMask Limitations on Method Calls: Understanding Contract Execution Speed

When interacting with a decentralized application (dApp) built on a blockchain, like Ethereum, using the MetaMask browser extension is essential. However, one of the limitations you might run into when relying heavily on contract.methods.some_method.call() to read data from your dApp’s contract is understanding how often it can be called and what potential implications it has for application.

Reading data using contract.methods.some_method.call()

In general, calling a contract method in a script executed by MetaMask or other external code execution environments (eg Remix) will incur additional overhead for the following reasons:

• Gas

  

  : The fuel costs associated with executing Ethereum transactions and method calls can be substantial.

• Network Latency: Data transfer between the MetaMask JavaScript environment, the blockchain network, and the smart contracts of the dApp takes place at a certain speed.

The specific price of gas depends on various factors, including:

• Contract complexity (more complex contracts require more fuel)

• Network congestion

• Amount of data read

To give you an idea, here are some rough estimates for reading different amounts of data:

| Data Read | Estimated Gas Cost |

| :——- | :——– | :—————– |

| 100 bytes | ~15-25 gwei (0.0000125 ETH) |

| 1 KB | ~50-70 gwei (~0.0045 ETH) |

| 10 KB | ~150-250 gwei (~0.0149 ETH) |

Blacklisting or Blocking Apps

While MetaMask is a powerful tool, excessive method calls can impact the performance of your dApp and potentially lead to blacklisting or blocking by the app developer.

Here are some reasons why this might happen:

• Excessive method call rate: If you call methods too often, the network can become congested, leading to increased latency.

• Gas fees exceed available funds: Excessive consumption fuel can deplete your MetaMask balance or other Ethereum accounts, preventing you from continuing to use the application.

To mitigate these risks, consider the following best practices:

1. Use async/await and try/catch blocks

When interacting with dApp contracts, use asynchronous programming techniques to avoid blocking the current thread while waiting for method calls or executing contract code.

const result = await yourContract.methods.someMethod.call();

2. Optimize method calls

To reduce gas costs and network latency:

• Reduce complex contracts: fewer complex contracts require less gas, resulting in lower average fees.

• Use a more efficient data format (e.g. Buffer instead of regular JavaScript strings).

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