Hedera is deprecating AccountBalanceQuery by July 2026, pushing builders to the Mirror Node REST API as throttles step down beginning Could 2026. Right here’s what adjustments.
Hedera is pulling the plug on AccountBalanceQuery. The community has confirmed the function will likely be absolutely eliminated with the July 2026 Consensus Node launch, model 0.75. Builders who haven’t began migrating but are already operating out of time.
The core problem isn’t technical complexity. Each AccountBalanceQuery name hits consensus nodes instantly. That pulls them away from processing transactions and reaching an settlement, their precise job. Because the community grows, that trade-off stops making sense.
The Clock Began Ticking in February
As @hedera_devs posted on X, throttle limits will start stepping down properly earlier than the July cutoff. Proper now, the question runs at 40,000 requests per second. That holds via April 2026. In Could, it drops to twenty,000 rps. June brings it to 10,000 rps. Then July arrives, and each single request fails.
Excessive-volume apps will really feel Could first. That’s the inflection level.
The community isn’t eradicating this with out providing one thing higher. Mirror Nodes are constructed for precisely such a knowledge question. They deal with excessive throughput with none drag on consensus. The Hedera-hosted mirror node offers free entry with its personal throttle limits, and business suppliers supply greater volumes on paid plans.
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Migration Is Easier Than It Sounds
The substitute endpoint is dwell at present. Builders swap out AccountBalanceQuery for a REST name to the Hedera Mirror Node API on the balances endpoint, passing the account ID. In line with the official Hedera migration information, token balances work via a separate accounts tokens endpoint. Each are production-ready now.
The migration information outlines 5 steps. First, search the codebase for AccountBalanceQuery and .getAccountBalance() calls. Second, choose the Mirror Node REST API because the substitute path. Third, take a look at every part in opposition to the testnet endpoint. Fourth, get it deployed earlier than Could. Fifth, clear out the deprecated references totally.
That fourth step issues most. Getting dwell earlier than Could avoids any rate-limiting ache.
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Block Streams Are Coming, However Not But
There’s another choice on the horizon. Block Nodes, primarily based on HIP-1056 and HIP-1081, will supply event-driven stability updates via Block Streams. That system unifies Hedera’s occasion, report, and sidecar knowledge into one verifiable stream. Builders can subscribe and filter for simply the info they want.
Block Nodes are nonetheless underneath lively improvement. They’re not accessible for this migration window. The Mirror Node REST API is the trail ahead proper now.
The deprecation applies equally throughout mainnet, testnet, and previewnet. No atmosphere will get a special timeline.
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Why This Change Factors to One thing Greater
This isn’t only a cleanup transfer. Hedera’s structure is being reorganized round a transparent separation. Consensus nodes deal with consensus. Goal-built infrastructure handles knowledge. AccountBalanceQuery sat within the unsuitable class from a scalability standpoint, and it’s going away due to that.
The broader push is seen elsewhere, too. Hedera has been increasing enterprise partnerships, becoming a member of coverage our bodies, and increasing its EVM compatibility. Eradicating question load from consensus nodes matches the identical path: construct a community that may really scale.
Because the @hedera_devs crew confirmed instantly on X, throttles start stepping down in Could 2026. Could and June exist as a testing window. July has no margin in any respect.
Builders can discover migration assets at docs.hedera.com and within the Hedera Discord developer channels.