# Ethereum quickstart
> Ethereum quickstart guide
# Ethereum quickstart
This quickstart guide will help you set up and make calls on the Ethereum network using the Infura endpoints.
Don't have an Infura account? Sign up for our free plan and start using the Ethereum network!
## Prerequisites
Ensure you have an [API key](/developer-tools/dashboard/get-started/create-api) with the Ethereum network enabled.
## Make calls
### curl
Run the following command in your terminal, replacing `` with your actual Infura API key:
```bash
curl https://mainnet.infura.io/v3/ \
-X POST \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "eth_blockNumber", "params": [], "id": 1}'
```
:::note
In Windows Powershell, quotations in `curl` commands can behave differently than expected. We recommend using Postman on Windows systems.
:::
### Postman
Call the JSON-RPC methods using [Postman](https://learning.postman.com/docs/getting-started/introduction/).
Click **Run in Postman** to fork the collection and make requests.
[](https://god.gw.postman.com/run-collection/8171681-49bfbc10-85ae-466c-8cf0-91eba9298b12?action=collection%2Ffork&source=rip_markdown&collection-url=entityId%3D8171681-49bfbc10-85ae-466c-8cf0-91eba9298b12%26entityType%3Dcollection%26workspaceId%3Db8156083-f4da-481f-84fa-72dcc26cb146)
:::info
Set the correct [variables](https://learning.postman.com/docs/sending-requests/variables/#understanding-variables) for your API key and network before running requests.
:::
### Node (JavaScript)
In these examples, you'll use [npm](https://docs.npmjs.com/downloading-and-installing-node-js-and-npm) as your package manager.
#### Node Fetch
1. In your project folder, install the `node-fetch` package using npm:
```bash
npm i node-fetch
```
1. Create your JavaScript file and copy the following code:
Replace `` with your actual Infura API key.
```javascript title="index.js"
fetch('https://mainnet.infura.io/v3/', {
method: 'POST',
headers: {
'Content-Type': 'application/json',
},
body: JSON.stringify({
jsonrpc: '2.0',
method: 'eth_blockNumber',
params: [],
id: 1,
}),
})
.then(response => response.json())
.then(data => {
console.log(data)
})
.catch(error => {
console.error(error)
})
```
1. Run the code using the following command:
```bash
node index.js
```
#### Axios
1. In your project folder, install the `axios` package using npm:
```bash
npm i axios
```
1. Create your JavaScript file and copy the following code:
Replace `` with your actual Infura API key.
```javascript title="index.js"
const axios = require('axios')
axios
.post('https://mainnet.infura.io/v3/', {
jsonrpc: '2.0',
method: 'eth_blockNumber',
params: [],
id: 1,
})
.then(response => {
console.log(response.data)
})
.catch(error => {
console.error(error)
})
```
1. Run the code using the following command:
```bash
node index.js
```
#### Ethers
1. In your project folder, install the `ethers` package using npm:
```bash
npm install ethers
```
1. Create your JavaScript file and copy the following code:
Replace `` with your actual Infura API key.
```javascript title="index.js"
const ethers = require('ethers')
const provider = new ethers.providers.JsonRpcProvider(
'https://mainnet.infura.io/v3/'
)
provider
.getBlockNumber()
.then(blockNumber => {
console.log(blockNumber)
})
.catch(error => {
console.error(error)
})
```
1. Run the code using the following command:
```bash
node index.js
```
#### Web3.js
1. In your project folder, [install the latest version of the web3.js library](https://www.npmjs.com/package/web3?activeTab=versions)
1. Create your JavaScript file and copy the following code:
Replace `` with your actual Infura API key.
```javascript title="index.js"
var { Web3 } = require('web3')
var provider = 'https://mainnet.infura.io/v3/'
var web3Provider = new Web3.providers.HttpProvider(provider)
var web3 = new Web3(web3Provider)
web3.eth.getBlockNumber().then(result => {
console.log('Latest Ethereum Block is ', result)
})
```
1. Run the code using the following command:
```bash
node index.js
```
### Python
1. In your project folder, install the `requests` library:
```bash
pip install requests
```
1. Create your Python file and copy the following code:
Replace `` with your actual Infura API key.
```python title="index.py"
url = "https://mainnet.infura.io/v3/"
payload = {
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"method": "eth_blockNumber",
"params": [],
"id": 1
}
headers = {'content-type': 'application/json'}
response = requests.post(url, data=json.dumps(payload), headers=headers).json()
print(response)
```
1. Run the code using the following command:
```bash
python index.py
```
## Next steps
Now that you have successfully made a call to the Ethereum network, you can explore more functionalities and APIs provided
by Infura. Here are some suggestions:
- **Explore other Ethereum APIs**: Infura supports a wide range of APIs. You can find more information in the
[JSON-RPC API method documentation](json-rpc-methods/index.md).
- **Try out different networks**: Infura supports multiple networks including Arbitrum, Linea, Polygon, Optimism, and more.
- **Monitor your usage**: Monitor your usage on the [Infura dashboard](/developer-tools/dashboard/how-to/dashboard-stats) to ensure you're not hitting your rate limits.
Remember, the MetaMask community is here to help. If you have any questions or run into any issues, check out the
[MetaMask community](https://community.metamask.io/) for help and answers to common questions.