How to Retrieve All ERC-20 Tokens Owned by a Wallet Address

APIs provided by platforms like Chainbase, Alchemy, and Moralis make it simple to retrieve ERC-20 token balances associated with a specific wallet address. These APIs are useful for individuals or entities—such as businesses or law enforcement—looking to ascertain token holdings without direct wallet access. Below, we explore how to utilize these APIs for retrieving token-related information.

Why Use APIs to Retrieve ERC-20 Token Balances?

Wallet interfaces automatically display the token balances of imported assets. However, when attempting to gather token information from an external address, direct wallet access isn’t feasible. In such cases, APIs offer a practical solution to retrieve ERC-20 token balances programmatically, simplifying and automating the process.

This guide explains how to use Chainbase, Alchemy, and Moralis to fetch detailed ERC-20 token information.

Using Chainbase to Retrieve ERC-20 Token Balances

Chainbase provides a robust blockchain infrastructure and APIs for querying on-chain data. Here’s how to use Chainbase for this purpose:

Step 1: Create a Free Account

• Register at Chainbase and log in.
• Access the dashboard, create a new project, and obtain an API key.

Step 2: Write a Script to Query ERC-20 Balances

• Use JavaScript and a library like Axios to make HTTP requests to the Chainbase API.
• Install Axios using the command: npm install axios --save.

Here’s an example script:

const axios = require('axios');

const API_KEY = 'YOUR_CHAINBASE_API_KEY';
const WALLET_ADDRESS = '0xd8da6bf26964af9d7eed9e03e53415d37aa96045';

async function getERC20Balances() {
  try {
    const response = await axios.get(`https://api.chainbase.online/v1/token_balances`, {
      params: {
        address: WALLET_ADDRESS,
        chain: 'ethereum',
        limit: 5,
      },
      headers: { 'X-API-KEY': API_KEY },
    });
    console.log(response.data);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error(error);
  }
}

getERC20Balances();

Step 3: Execute the Script

• Save the script to a file (e.g., getBalances.js) and run it using the command:bashKodu kopyala

node getBalances.js

The output will list token balances, such as ETH, Uniswap V2, or dYdX, for the specified wallet.

Using Alchemy to Retrieve ERC-20 Token Balances

Alchemy provides powerful APIs for interacting with the blockchain. Here’s how to use it:

Step 1: Install Node.js and NPM

• Install Node.js and NPM on your system.

Step 2: Set Up an Alchemy Account

• Sign up at Alchemy and create an app in the dashboard.
• Copy the app’s HTTP API URL (e.g., https://eth-mainnet.g.alchemy.com/v2/YOUR_API_KEY).

Step 3: Initialize a Node Project

• Create a new project directory and install dependencies:bashKodu kopyala

mkdir eth-balance && cd eth-balance
npm init -y
npm install axios

Step 4: Write a Script to Fetch Token Balances

• Use the Alchemy API to retrieve balances. Here’s an example:

const axios = require('axios');

const ALCHEMY_API_URL = 'https://eth-mainnet.g.alchemy.com/v2/YOUR_API_KEY';
const WALLET_ADDRESS = '0xd8da6bf26964af9d7eed9e03e53415d37aa96045';

async function getBalances() {
  try {
    const response = await axios.post(ALCHEMY_API_URL, {
      jsonrpc: '2.0',
      method: 'alchemy_getTokenBalances',
      params: [WALLET_ADDRESS],
      id: 1,
    });
    console.log(response.data.result);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error(error);
  }
}

getBalances();

Step 5: Display Human-Readable Token Balances

• Use Alchemy’s getTokenMetadata method to fetch detailed token information, such as name, symbol, and decimals.
• Combine alchemy_getTokenBalances with getTokenMetadata to filter zero-balance tokens and convert balances into a user-friendly format.

Using Moralis to Retrieve ERC-20 Token Balances

Moralis provides enterprise-grade Web3 APIs for developers. Here’s how to retrieve token balances with Moralis:

Step 1: Set Up Moralis

• Install Node.js and NPM if not already installed.
• Create an account at Moralis and retrieve your API key from the dashboard.

Step 2: Query ERC-20 Token Balances

• Use Moralis’ getWalletTokenBalances endpoint with the wallet address and blockchain network as parameters.

Here’s an example script:

const axios = require('axios');

const MORALIS_API_KEY = 'YOUR_MORALIS_API_KEY';
const WALLET_ADDRESS = '0xd8da6bf26964af9d7eed9e03e53415d37aa96045';

async function getERC20Balances() {
  try {
    const response = await axios.get(`https://deep-index.moralis.io/api/v2/${WALLET_ADDRESS}/erc20`, {
      headers: { 'X-API-Key': MORALIS_API_KEY },
    });
    console.log(response.data);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error(error);
  }
}

getERC20Balances();

Step 3: Run the Script

• Save and execute the script using the command:

node getERC20Balances.js

The output will display token balances in a structured JSON format, including details like token names, symbols, and logos.

Final Thoughts

Whether using Chainbase, Alchemy, or Moralis, APIs make it easy to retrieve ERC-20 token balances from wallet addresses. These tools are invaluable for developers, businesses, and organizations needing precise on-chain data without direct wallet access.