Query Chain

Query Cardano Chain Data

Help the developer choose and use the right data provider for querying the Cardano blockchain.

When to use

• Developer needs to read UTxOs, transaction history, protocol parameters, or on-chain state
• Choosing between Blockfrost, Ogmios, Kupo, Koios, Cardano GraphQL, DB-Sync, or Oura
• Setting up a data pipeline from chain data
• Querying datum or script information attached to UTxOs
• Building a backend service that needs chain data
• Comparing hosted vs self-hosted infrastructure options

When NOT to use

• Building or submitting transactions (use transaction-building skills instead)
• Setting up a local devnet (use setup-devnet skill)
• Writing smart contracts (use Aiken/Plutus skills)
• Wallet integration in a frontend (use connect-wallet skill)

Key principles

1. Match the provider to the use case. There is no single best provider. A dApp frontend has different needs than a data pipeline.
2. Hosted APIs are faster to start; self-hosted gives control. Blockfrost and Koios are hosted. Ogmios, Kupo, DB-Sync require running infrastructure.
3. Combine providers when needed. Ogmios + Kupo is a common pairing: Ogmios for tx submission and protocol params, Kupo for UTxO queries.
4. Consider cost at scale. Hosted APIs have rate limits and pricing tiers. Self-hosted has infrastructure cost.
5. Think about latency requirements. WebSocket (Ogmios) is lower latency than REST (Blockfrost). Local node queries are fastest.

Workflow

Step 1: Identify the context

Ask the developer (if not already clear):

• What are you building? (backend-service | dapp-frontend | data-pipeline | one-off-query)
• Do you need real-time chain-tip data or historical queries?
• Are you running your own Cardano node?
• What language/SDK are you using?

Step 2: Search Bundled Documentation

Search the bundled documentation for relevant content:

• ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../docs/sources/ogmios/ - Ogmios WebSocket bridge docs
• ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../docs/sources/blockfrost-openapi/ - Blockfrost API docs
• ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../docs/sources/koios/ - Koios API docs
• ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../docs/sources/cardano-graphql/ - Cardano GraphQL docs
• ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../docs/sources/db-sync/ - DB-Sync docs
• ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../docs/sources/evolution-sdk/ - Evolution SDK docs (TypeScript client; see providers/ and querying/)

Step 3: Evaluate providers for the context

Search the reference file for detailed provider comparisons.

File: skills/query-chain/references/provider-comparison.md

Quick decision guide

| Context | Recommended Primary | Alternative | |---|---|---| | backend-service | Ogmios + Kupo (self-hosted) or Blockfrost (hosted) | Koios (hosted, free tier) | | dapp-frontend | Blockfrost (via SDK) or Koios | Ogmios via backend proxy | | data-pipeline | Oura (streaming) or DB-Sync (SQL) | Cardano GraphQL | | one-off-query | Koios (free, no signup) or Blockfrost | cardano-cli with local node |

Step 4: Describe each viable option

For each provider that fits the developer's context, explain:

1. How to set it up -- installation, configuration, API keys
2. How to make the query -- specific API calls, endpoints, or queries
3. Code example -- using their SDK/language of choice
4. Limitations -- rate limits, missing data, latency

Step 5: Provider-specific guidance

Blockfrost (Hosted REST API)

• Sign up at blockfrost.io for a project ID
• REST API with comprehensive endpoints
• SDKs: JavaScript, Python, Rust, Go, Java, Kotlin, Swift, Elixir
• Rate limits: free tier 50k requests/day, 10 req/s sustained, 500 req burst capacity
• Great for: quick prototyping, frontend dApps, moderate traffic backends

GET /addresses/{address}/utxos
GET /txs/{hash}
GET /epochs/latest/parameters

Ogmios (Self-hosted WebSocket)

• Requires a running cardano-node
• WebSocket JSON-RPC protocol (low latency)
• Local state queries: UTxOs, protocol parameters, chain tip
• Transaction submission and evaluation
• Best for: backends co-located with a node, tx submission workflows

Kupo (Self-hosted HTTP indexer)

• Indexes UTxOs by address, asset, or datum hash
• Lightweight, fast, pattern-based matching
• REST API on top of indexed data
• Often paired with Ogmios for a complete solution
• Best for: UTxO lookups, datum resolution, asset queries

Koios (Hosted REST API, community-run)

• Free tier with generous limits
• No API key required for basic use
• Comprehensive endpoints similar to Blockfrost
• Community-maintained, decentralized backend nodes
• Best for: open-source projects, quick queries, no-signup needs

Cardano GraphQL (Self-hosted GraphQL)

• GraphQL interface over cardano-db-sync
• Flexible queries with relationships
• Requires DB-Sync + PostgreSQL + Hasura
• Best for: complex relational queries, custom data views

DB-Sync (Self-hosted PostgreSQL)

• Full blockchain data in PostgreSQL
• Direct SQL access to all chain data
• Heavy resource requirements (100GB+ disk, significant RAM)
• Best for: analytics, complex historical queries, data warehousing

Oura (Self-hosted pipeline)

• Event-driven pipeline from cardano-node
• Outputs to Kafka, Elasticsearch, webhooks, files
• Filters and maps chain events
• Best for: real-time event processing, data pipelines, notifications

Evolution SDK (TypeScript client over providers)

Not a provider — a TypeScript library that wraps Blockfrost, Kupmios, Maestro, and Koios behind one query interface, so the provider becomes a config choice rather than a code rewrite. For read-only work, build a provider-only client (no wallet attached):

import { Address, Client, preprod } from "@evolution-sdk/evolution"

const client = Client.make(preprod).withBlockfrost({
  baseUrl: "https://cardano-preprod.blockfrost.io/api/v0",
  projectId: process.env.BLOCKFROST_PROJECT_ID!,
}) // or .withKupmios(...) / .withMaestro(...) / .withKoios(...) — same query API

const utxos   = await client.getUtxos(Address.fromBech32("addr_test1..."))
const nftUtxo = await client.getUtxoByUnit(unit)          // the one UTxO holding an NFT
const datum   = await client.getDatum(datumHash)
const params  = await client.getProtocolParameters()
const { poolId, rewards } = await client.getDelegation(rewardAddress)

Query methods: getUtxos, getUtxosWithUnit, getUtxoByUnit, getUtxosByOutRef, getDatum, getDelegation, getProtocolParameters, awaitTx. Best for: TypeScript backends and dApps that want one query API independent of the underlying provider. See ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../docs/sources/evolution-sdk/providers/ and .../querying/.

Step 6: Provide working code

Give the developer a working code snippet for their chosen provider and language. Always include:

• Dependency installation
• Client initialization
• The specific query they need
• Error handling
• Response parsing

Step 7: Address common issues

• Stale data: Hosted APIs may lag behind chain tip by a few seconds
• Datum resolution: Not all providers return inline datums; may need separate lookup
• Pagination: Large result sets require pagination (Blockfrost pages, Kupo cursors)
• Network selection: Ensure provider is configured for the right network (mainnet/preprod/preview)
• CORS: Frontend apps need CORS-friendly endpoints or a backend proxy

References

• skills/query-chain/references/provider-comparison.md -- Detailed comparison of all 7 providers with decision matrix
• Blockfrost docs: https://docs.blockfrost.io
• Ogmios docs: https://ogmios.dev
• Kupo docs: https://cardanosolutions.github.io/kupo
• Koios docs: https://api.koios.rest
• DB-Sync docs: https://github.com/IntersectMBO/cardano-db-sync
• Oura docs: https://github.com/txpipe/oura

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: cardano-foundation
• Source: cardano-foundation/cardano-dev-skills
• License: Apache-2.0
• Homepage: https://cardano-foundation.github.io/cardano-dev-skills/

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.