from-rpc does not convert difficulty right if difficulty is a number

[jochem-brouwer]

Geth's web3.eth.getBlock returns difficulty as a number. One has to manually convert this to hex before feeding it to from-rpc.

rom_RPC without difficulty to hex conversion 0x32333032393139373438313334363734 actual difficulty: 2302919748134674 number 9643516
from_RPC with difficulty to hex conversion 0x82e7e4988a712 actual difficulty: 0x82e7e4988a712 number 9643516

If you feed these to blockchain you get an Invalid difficulty error.

[jochem-brouwer]

This seems to have to do with types, we should either enforce that users only input Buffers/hex strings or we should manually convert numbers to hex strings if that's the case. (It seems like ethereumjs-util will convert them to Buffers). I think we should do the latter, we can check if something is a number and then convert it to a hex string.

[jochem-brouwer]

Right now on the latest web3 version and on return values of web3.eth.getBlock(x) from a Geth node version 1.9.19 the problems are:

• difficulty of Block
• gasPrice value of Transaction
• value of Transaction

In general, maybe strings which are not 0x-prefixed should be assumed as decimal number strings and thus treated as such?

Also adding TX here since TX throws the errors regarding gasPrice and value.

[holgerd77]

Is this still an issue?

[jochem-brouwer]

Yes this is still an issue. Should be easy to fix though.

[scorbajio]

Hello! I am a new contributor and am looking forward to working with the developer community. I have opened PR #1254 to begin addressing this issue. Please let me know if you have any ideas on how to improve the approach I took to checking and converting the difficulty parameter for the block package before I apply it to the gasPrice and value parameters of the tx package.

[scorbajio]

If you feed these to blockchain you get an Invalid difficulty error.

@jochem-brouwer Passing a JSON object that has a difficulty parameter of type decimal string throws an error in block:

Error: Cannot convert string to buffer. toBuffer only supports 0x-prefixed hex strings and this string was given: 82459156443011
    at Object.exports.toBuffer (/home/indigoomega021/code/projects/ethereumjs/ethereumjs-monorepo/packages/util/src/bytes.ts:141:13)
    at Function.fromHeaderData (/home/indigoomega021/code/projects/ethereumjs/ethereumjs-monorepo/packages/block/src/header.ts:83:27)
    at Object.blockHeaderFromRpc [as default] (/home/indigoomega021/code/projects/ethereumjs/ethereumjs-monorepo/packages/block/src/header-from-rpc.ts:51:35)
    at Object.blockFromRpc [as default] (/home/indigoomega021/code/projects/ethereumjs/ethereumjs-monorepo/packages/block/src/from-rpc.ts:33:36)
    at Test.<anonymous> (/home/indigoomega021/code/projects/ethereumjs/ethereumjs-monorepo/packages/block/test/from-rpc.spec.ts:42:31)
    at Test.bound [as _cb] (/home/indigoomega021/code/projects/ethereumjs/ethereumjs-monorepo/node_modules/tape/lib/test.js:80:32)
    at Test.run (/home/indigoomega021/code/projects/ethereumjs/ethereumjs-monorepo/node_modules/tape/lib/test.js:96:10)
    at Test.bound [as run] (/home/indigoomega021/code/projects/ethereumjs/ethereumjs-monorepo/node_modules/tape/lib/test.js:80:32)
    at Test._end (/home/indigoomega021/code/projects/ethereumjs/ethereumjs-monorepo/node_modules/tape/lib/test.js:165:11)
    at Test.bound [as _end] (/home/indigoomega021/code/projects/ethereumjs/ethereumjs-monorepo/node_modules/tape/lib/test.js:80:32)

Here is the JSON object that resulted in the error, for reference:

{
  "author": "0x4bb96091ee9d802ed039c4d1a5f6216f90f81b01",
  "difficulty": "82459156443011",
  "extraData": "0x657468706f6f6c202d20555331",
  "gasLimit": "0x3d37da",
  "gasUsed": "0x1551b",
  "hash": "0xc596cb892b649b4917da8c6b78611346d55daf7bcf4375da86a2d98810888e84",
  "logsBloom": "0x00000000004000000000000000000000000000000400000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000080000008000000000000000000000000000002000000000000000000000080000000000001800000000000000000008000000000000000000000000000000000000080000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000004000000000001000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000020001000000000000000000000000000000000000000000100000010000000000000000000000400000400000000000000000",
  "miner": "0x4bb96091ee9d802ed039c4d1a5f6216f90f81b01",
  "mixHash": "0xcb3723ab82e84594d0ec9ed5a45fd976d5aba09903826e5ed5e06ae893011eaa",
  "nonce": "0xa76a9a500301e044",
  "number": "0x2ca14a",
  "parentHash": "0x24f155bdf17217767531f464636fe4b84b87a38c53127541f952b3052adbac95",
  "receiptsRoot": "0x0eb6a50257911130ea2fa2e500e71e55e2dfc38eb97f64ca9cfca6faeabd693e",
  "sealFields": [
    "0xcb3723ab82e84594d0ec9ed5a45fd976d5aba09903826e5ed5e06ae893011eaa",
    "0xa76a9a500301e044"
  ],
  "sha3Uncles": "0x1dcc4de8dec75d7aab85b567b6ccd41ad312451b948a7413f0a142fd40d49347",
  "size": "0x3d7",
  "stateRoot": "0xdf97474b1b492cb6491cff267ca53c33aa42b611ba15239b4027a77275afeffc",
  "timestamp": "0x586afa54",
  "totalDifficulty": "0x61decf2ca7d9bbbf8",
  "transactions": [
    {
      "blockHash": "0xc596cb892b649b4917da8c6b78611346d55daf7bcf4375da86a2d98810888e84",
      "blockNumber": "0x2ca14a",
      "creates": null,
      "from": "0x41959417325160f8952bc933ae8317b4e5140dda",
      "gas": "0x5e1b",
      "gasPrice": "0x98bca5a00",
      "hash": "0x542e06b2b8beb71305bf1bfd4d2088da9848d8795971d93d5f7893ecceef095b",
      "input": "0x",
      "nonce": "0x0",
      "publicKey": "0x0ddc5f895f174466d0278ed91297d18346632fbcd98d902b4f36c1e3ac0fc2b14e3024c25280415a37ef1dccdb8118ea2232305485c0a87e17417637a972c7bd",
      "r": "0x7150d00a9dcd8a8287ad220010c52ff2608906b746de23c993999768091ff210",
      "raw": "0xf86c8085098bca5a00825e1b940c7c0b72004a7a66ffa780637427fed0c4faac478844004c09e76a00008025a07150d00a9dcd8a8287ad220010c52ff2608906b746de23c993999768091ff210a05585fabcd1dc415e1668d4cbc2d419cf0381bf9707480ad2f86d0800732f6d7e",
      "s": "0x5585fabcd1dc415e1668d4cbc2d419cf0381bf9707480ad2f86d0800732f6d7e",
      "to": "0x0c7c0b72004a7a66ffa780637427fed0c4faac47",
      "transactionIndex": "0x0",
      "v": 0,
      "value": "0x44004c09e76a0000"
    },
    {
      "blockHash": "0xc596cb892b649b4917da8c6b78611346d55daf7bcf4375da86a2d98810888e84",
      "blockNumber": "0x2ca14a",
      "creates": null,
      "from": "0x56ce1399be2831f8a3f918a0408c05bbad658ef3",
      "gas": "0x5208",
      "gasPrice": "0x4e3b29200",
      "hash": "0xe9e15dd4f1070ec30ca4bfbe70738e78b0bb7d126a512e7dc9b22df5b64af791",
      "input": "0x",
      "nonce": "0x9d",
      "publicKey": "0x82a51957d31375120093359ab7beefe9d7d68579d6e40b99d85bff1283a687f8a88c0f3c0a1160f68df814a3bfe7f649a4c16f9b6dbdaf289e6dec93bf083287",
      "r": "0x5d92c10b5789801d4ce0fc558eedc6e6cccbaf0105a7c1f909feabcedfe56cd9",
      "raw": "0xf86d819d8504e3b2920082520894f4702bb51b8270729db362b0d4f82a56bdd66c6588120a871cc0020000801ba05d92c10b5789801d4ce0fc558eedc6e6cccbaf0105a7c1f909feabcedfe56cd9a072cc370fa5fd3b43c2ba4e9e70fea1b5e950b4261ab4274982d8ae15a3403a33",
      "s": "0x72cc370fa5fd3b43c2ba4e9e70fea1b5e950b4261ab4274982d8ae15a3403a33",
      "to": "0xf4702bb51b8270729db362b0d4f82a56bdd66c65",
      "transactionIndex": "0x1",
      "v": 0,
      "value": "0x120a871cc0020000"
    },
    {
      "blockHash": "0xc596cb892b649b4917da8c6b78611346d55daf7bcf4375da86a2d98810888e84",
      "blockNumber": "0x2ca14a",
      "creates": null,
      "from": "0x1e9939daaad6924ad004c2560e90804164900341",
      "gas": "0x9858",
      "gasPrice": "0x4a817c800",
      "hash": "0x3078eeb8227d104338666de260aac59c141a08f519856fd8b7253398d9347f51",
      "input": "0x",
      "nonce": "0x22f5d",
      "publicKey": "0x9fd89da696721cb906af81fe5d8bc3d0a4a7368be52db98d9e3a2d7c5f7aef545e8e578c2a158236d6221512c5df892b23bbe1087966f134799d6e36d3097973",
      "r": "0x7ee15b226f6c767ccace78a4b5b4cbf0be6ec20a899e058d3c95977bacd0cbd5",
      "raw": "0xf86f83022f5d8504a817c80082985894b8201140a49b0d5b65a23b4b2fa8a6efff87c576880de4ea09ac8f1e888025a07ee15b226f6c767ccace78a4b5b4cbf0be6ec20a899e058d3c95977bacd0cbd5a027e75bcd3bfd199e8c3e3f0c90b0d39f01b773b3da64060e06c0d568ae5c7523",
      "s": "0x27e75bcd3bfd199e8c3e3f0c90b0d39f01b773b3da64060e06c0d568ae5c7523",
      "to": "0xb8201140a49b0d5b65a23b4b2fa8a6efff87c576",
      "transactionIndex": "0x2",
      "v": 0,
      "value": "0xde4ea09ac8f1e88"
    },
    {
      "blockHash": "0xc596cb892b649b4917da8c6b78611346d55daf7bcf4375da86a2d98810888e84",
      "blockNumber": "0x2ca14a",
      "creates": null,
      "from": "0xea674fdde714fd979de3edf0f56aa9716b898ec8",
      "gas": "0x15f90",
      "gasPrice": "0x4a817c800",
      "hash": "0x9de43b061e5286ab1ad7494f50fac1ec9b541998800f9388ae6e7119f312c5cd",
      "input": "0x",
      "nonce": "0xfc02d",
      "publicKey": "0x5d8af02c52b1fb40e45d6e04ae2351d443d1f7327e9b6dbb5ae1d918414899c625690c4c236889e23d9705f9db88876542b959d947a3497a30d0d922ee30015f",
      "r": "0x059934eeace580cc2bdc292415976692c751f0bcb025930bd40fcc31e91208f3",
      "raw": "0xf870830fc02d8504a817c80083015f9094c4f381af25c41786110242623373cc9c7647f3f1880e139507cd50c0188026a0059934eeace580cc2bdc292415976692c751f0bcb025930bd40fcc31e91208f3a077ff34a10a3de0d906a0363b4bdbc0e9a06cb4378476d96dfd446225d8d9949c",
      "s": "0x77ff34a10a3de0d906a0363b4bdbc0e9a06cb4378476d96dfd446225d8d9949c",
      "to": "0xc4f381af25c41786110242623373cc9c7647f3f1",
      "transactionIndex": "0x3",
      "v": 1,
      "value": "0xe139507cd50c018"
    }
  ],
  "transactionsRoot": "0xe307e6d0e13f41ed336e09d71deb59a354eee4121449f0286cfb076e767fd45b",
  "uncles": []
}

[ryanio]

Fixed with #1316