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November 22, 2024 No comments yet
Polygon PoS is a high-throughput EVM-compatible sidechain with 2-second block times and sub-cent transaction fees.

Polygon PoS (Proof of Stake) is Ethereum's most widely adopted Layer 2 scaling network, processing millions of transactions daily with near-instant finality and average gas costs of less than $0.01. The PolygonScanAPI gives developers programmatic access to every block, transaction, and event on the Polygon PoS mainnet and the Amoy testnet.

Polygon PoS Architecture

Polygon PoS operates as an EVM-compatible sidechain that periodically commits checkpoints to the Ethereum mainnet for security. It uses a set of Heimdall validators who stake POL tokens to participate in block production and validation. Understanding this architecture helps developers build more robust applications that leverage both Polygon's speed and Ethereum's security.

Mainnet vs. Amoy Testnet

The Polygon PoS mainnet (Chain ID: 137) is the production environment where real POL tokens are used. The Amoy testnet (Chain ID: 80002) replaced the older Mumbai testnet in early 2024 and is the recommended environment for development and testing. PolygonScanAPI supports both networks:

  • Mainnet API base: https://api.polygonscan.com/api
  • Amoy testnet API base: https://api-amoy.polygonscan.com/api
Key Network Statistics

The Polygon PoS chain maintains impressive performance metrics that make it suitable for high-volume consumer applications:

  • Average block time: ~2 seconds
  • Transactions per second (TPS): up to 7,200 theoretical max
  • Average gas price: 30–50 Gwei in normal conditions
  • POL (formerly MATIC) is the native gas and staking token
EVM Compatibility

Polygon PoS is fully EVM-compatible, meaning all Solidity smart contracts and Ethereum development tools — Hardhat, Foundry, Truffle, ethers.js, web3.py — work without modification. Simply switch the RPC endpoint to Polygon PoS and deploy your existing contracts.

Accessing POL Token Data

Use the stats module of the Polygon Scan API to retrieve network-wide POL supply and validator information, and use the account module to query individual wallet POL balances and staking positions.

PolygonScanAPI