Web3.js: The method eth_sendTransaction does not exist/is not available

Created on 5 Apr 2019 · 9Comments · Source: ChainSafe/web3.js

Description

I'm using methods.myMethod.send to call a method on a smart contract. I'm using an infura node.

import * as RpcClient from 'web3-eth';

const rpc = new RpcClient('https://mainnet.infura.io'); // I also tested on kovan - the result remains the same

rpc.defaultAccount = address;
rpc.accounts.wallet.add({
  privateKey: privateKey,
  address: address,
});

/** connect to contract, etc. (omitted) **/

await mycontract.methods.foo() // within async function
  .send({
    from: address,
    gas: gasAmount,
    gasPrice: gasPrice,
    value: value,
  });

Expected behavior

Transaction is relayed to the network and can be mined.

Actual behavior

I have two different projects, both use the exact same code.

In project 1 I execute above code using jest specs and it works - the method is called an the tx relayed.
In project 2 I execute the exact same code, but calling mycontract.methods.foo().send always end up with this error:

The method eth_sendTransaction does not exist/is not available

Steps to reproduce the behavior

I'll try to setup a reproduction repo.

Error Logs

(node:29921) UnhandledPromiseRejectionWarning: Error: Returned error: The method eth_sendTransaction does not exist/is not available
    at Object.ErrorResponse (/Users/foo/repo/project-1-with-jest/node_modules/web3-core-helpers/src/errors.js:30:16)
    at /Users/foo/repo/project-1-with-jest/node_modules/web3-core-requestmanager/src/index.js:140:36
    at XMLHttpRequest.request.onreadystatechange (/Users/foo/repo/project-1-with-jest/node_modules/web3-providers-http/src/index.js:91:13)
    at XMLHttpRequestEventTarget.dispatchEvent (/Users/foo/repo/project-1-with-jest/node_modules/xhr2-cookies/dist/xml-http-request-event-target.js:34:22)
    at XMLHttpRequest._setReadyState (/Users/foo/repo/project-1-with-jest/node_modules/xhr2-cookies/dist/xml-http-request.js:208:14)
    at XMLHttpRequest._onHttpResponseEnd (/Users/foo/repo/project-1-with-jest/node_modules/xhr2-cookies/dist/xml-http-request.js:318:14)
    at IncomingMessage.<anonymous> (/Users/foo/repo/project-1-with-jest/node_modules/xhr2-cookies/dist/xml-http-request.js:289:61)
    at IncomingMessage.emit (events.js:187:15)
    at IncomingMessage.EventEmitter.emit (domain.js:441:20)
    at endReadableNT (_stream_readable.js:1094:12)
    at process._tickCallback (internal/process/next_tick.js:63:19)
    at process.emitWarning (internal/process/warning.js:134:13)
    at process.<anonymous> (/Users/foo/repo/project-2-with-cli/node_modules/esm/esm.js:1:282108)
    at process.<anonymous> (/Users/foo/repo/project-2-with-cli/node_modules/esm/esm.js:1:281984)
    at process.<anonymous> (/Users/foo/repo/project-2-with-cli/node_modules/esm/esm.js:1:277586)
    at Object.apply (/Users/foo/repo/project-2-with-cli/node_modules/esm/esm.js:1:194489)
    at emitWarning (internal/process/promises.js:81:15)
    at emitPromiseRejectionWarnings (internal/process/promises.js:120:9)
    at process._tickCallback (internal/process/next_tick.js:69:34)
(node:29921) Error: Returned error: The method eth_sendTransaction does not exist/is not available
    at Object.ErrorResponse (/Users/foo/repo/project-1-with-jest/node_modules/web3-core-helpers/src/errors.js:30:16)
    at /Users/foo/repo/project-1-with-jest/node_modules/web3-core-requestmanager/src/index.js:140:36
    at XMLHttpRequest.request.onreadystatechange (/Users/foo/repo/project-1-with-jest/node_modules/web3-providers-http/src/index.js:91:13)
    at XMLHttpRequestEventTarget.dispatchEvent (/Users/foo/repo/project-1-with-jest/node_modules/xhr2-cookies/dist/xml-http-request-event-target.js:34:22)
    at XMLHttpRequest._setReadyState (/Users/foo/repo/project-1-with-jest/node_modules/xhr2-cookies/dist/xml-http-request.js:208:14)
    at XMLHttpRequest._onHttpResponseEnd (/Users/foo/repo/project-1-with-jest/node_modules/xhr2-cookies/dist/xml-http-request.js:318:14)
    at IncomingMessage.<anonymous> (/Users/foo/repo/project-1-with-jest/node_modules/xhr2-cookies/dist/xml-http-request.js:289:61)
    at IncomingMessage.emit (events.js:187:15)
    at IncomingMessage.EventEmitter.emit (domain.js:441:20)
    at endReadableNT (_stream_readable.js:1094:12)
    at process._tickCallback (internal/process/next_tick.js:63:19)
(node:29921) [DEP0018] DeprecationWarning: Unhandled promise rejections are deprecated. In the future, promise rejections that are not handled will terminate the Node.js process with a non-zero exit code.
    at process.emitWarning (internal/process/warning.js:134:13)
    at process.<anonymous> (/Users/foo/repo/project-2-with-cli/node_modules/esm/esm.js:1:282108)
    at process.<anonymous> (/Users/foo/repo/project-2-with-cli/node_modules/esm/esm.js:1:281984)
    at process.<anonymous> (/Users/foo/repo/project-2-with-cli/node_modules/esm/esm.js:1:277586)
    at Object.apply (/Users/foo/repo/project-2-with-cli/node_modules/esm/esm.js:1:194489)
    at emitDeprecationWarning (internal/process/promises.js:95:13)
    at emitWarning (internal/process/promises.js:88:3)
    at emitPromiseRejectionWarnings (internal/process/promises.js:120:9)
    at process._tickCallback (internal/process/next_tick.js:69:34)

Versions

web3.js: 1.0.0-beta.36 and 1.0.0-beta.51
nodejs: v10.14.2
ethereum node: Infura (both main and kovan)

Source

takahser

👍8

Most helpful comment

Locally it works for me as well, but not if using Infura.

Infura is probably easiest the most popular choice for connecting to the ethereum network without having a private node, so I think it's in the interest of the whole community to assure integration between web3.js and Infura. Therefore I don't understand why you close this issue, without providing a solution that works on Infura.

takahser on 5 Apr 2019

👍9

All 9 comments

Relevant issues overview

This issue is related but didn't provide any useful solution and was closed: https://github.com/ethereum/web3.js/issues/1637

This comment is wrong, since it works in my case in 1 of the projects: https://github.com/ethereum/web3.js/issues/1637#issuecomment-453443600

Relevant SO posts overview

These posts are related but don't provide a solution, other than using the sendRawTransaction endpoint:

takahser on 5 Apr 2019

I've tested it with my local geth node and an unlocked account and it works without any error. The transaction gets signed locally and will be sent with eth_sendRawTransaction.

Code:

const web3 = new Web3('ws://localhost:8546');

const alice = '0xb414031Aa4838A69e27Cb2AE31E709Bcd674F0Cb';
web3.eth.accounts.wallet.add('0x3a0ce9a362c73439adb38c595e739539be1e34d19c5e9f04962c101c86bd7616');
const testContract = new web3.eth.Contract(abi, '', {data: web3TokenBytecode});

testContract.transactionConfirmationBlocks = 1;

testContract.deploy().estimateGas().then((gas) => {
  testContract.deploy().send({from: alice, gas: gas}).then((clonedContract) => {
    clonedContract.methods.transfer('0x24BBE93E1D5b43233D921C9c73E15e8576bD7Be1', 1000)
      .send({from: alice, gas: gas})
      .on('transactionHash', (hash) => {
        console.log('TRANSACTION_HASH');
        console.log(hash);
      })
      .on('confirmation', (confirmations, receipt) => {
        console.log('CONFIRMATION');
        console.log(confirmations);
        console.log(receipt);
      })
      .on('receipt', (receipt) => {
        console.log('RECEIPT');
        console.log(receipt);
      })
      .on('error', (error, receipt, confirmations) => {
        console.log('ERROR');
        console.log(error);
        console.log(receipt);
        console.log(confirmations);
      });
  });
});

nivida on 5 Apr 2019

😕4 👎2 👀1

Locally it works for me as well, but not if using Infura.

takahser on 5 Apr 2019

👍9

This doesn't make a difference. :)
Infura has not activated the method eth_sendTransaction because this method needs unlocked accounts on the ethereum node. With the example I've provided above will it also work with infura :)

Edit:
Please open an issue in the infura repository to get any further details about it.

nivida on 5 Apr 2019

👍4 👀1 👎1

thanks for your reply @nivida

Infura has not activated the method eth_sendTransaction

As mentioned in my original post, I did write specs with jest and executed the smart contract function which resulted in the transaction getting relayed to the network.
Anyway, good point asking for advice at infura. Will do, thanks.

takahser on 5 Apr 2019

@takahser did you find any workaround for that?