debug_traceTransaction

Replays a transaction and returns a detailed execution trace. Supports multiple tracer types for different levels of detail.

Parameters

Tracer Options

Returns

The return format depends on the tracer used:

• Default (no tracer): Array of opcode-level execution steps with gas, stack, and memory.
• callTracer: Nested call tree with from, to, value, gas, gasUsed, input, output, and calls.
• prestateTracer: Map of addresses to their state before execution (balance, nonce, code, storage).

Example

Using callTracer:

curl -s -X POST https://rpc.pulsechain.box \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "method": "debug_traceTransaction",
    "params": [
      "0x01c5a8461d06c2c195035c148af0f871c7679841d86ae5bb98676bb2d8e68dfa",
      {"tracer": "callTracer"}
    ],
    "id": 1
  }'

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 1,
  "result": {
    "type": "CALL",
    "from": "0x...",
    "to": "0x...",
    "value": "0x0",
    "gas": "0x...",
    "gasUsed": "0x...",
    "input": "0x...",
    "output": "0x...",
    "calls": []
  }
}

Notes

• The example uses a real PulseChain transaction from block 0x100000.
• The callTracer is the most commonly used tracer and provides a clear view of internal calls.
• The prestateTracer is useful for understanding what state a transaction reads.
• The default opcode tracer produces very large responses and should be used with a timeout parameter.
• Tracing requires archive data; this endpoint is served by a an archive node with full trace support.