Metamask: Can’t see the balance of my ETH when in Localhost 8545

Metamask Balance Issue with Localhost 8545

As a user of the popular MetaMask browser extension for Ethereum, you are probably familiar with the convenience and flexibility it offers. However, a recent issue has caused frustration among users using Localhost 8545 as their primary wallet setup. In this article, we will address the issue and explore possible solutions.

The Issue

If you use Localhost 8545 as your Ethereum wallet, Metamask’s balance display is affected. Specifically, when you switch from mainnet to localhost, your Ether (ETH) balance will no longer be displayed on the Metamask dashboard. This can be confusing for users who are used to seeing their balances displayed in real time.

The code

To better understand the problem, let’s look at some code that might be relevant:

package main
import (
"encoding/json"
"fmt"
"log"
"ethereum/go-ethers/abi"
"ethereum/go-ethers/packages"
"ethereum/go-ethers/wallets"
)
func main() {
wallet := wallets.NewLocalhostWallet("YOUR_WALLET_ADDRESS")
fmt.Println("Initial balance:", wallet.BalanceString())
// Edit account settings to switch from mainnet to localhost
wallet.SetChainID(api.Config().ChainID)
fmt.Println("Balance after setting Chain-ID:")
fmt.Println(wallet.BalanceString())
}

The Localhost 8545 issue

When using Localhost 8545, the wallet is not configured to use that particular chain. The Metamask API may expect a different chain ID, which can cause discrepancies when retrieving balances.

Possible solutions

To fix the issue, you can try the following:

• Check your MetaMask settings: Make sure your Localhost 8545 wallet is set up correctly in your MetaMask browser extension.

• Update your Ethereum node configuration: Switch to another Ethereum node that supports Localhost 8545, such as the Go Ethereum node or a cloud-based service like Infura.

• Use the chainId parameter with Metamask: In your code, pass the chain ID of localhost 8545 with the chainID parameter when creating the wallet:

wallet := wallets.NewLocalhostWallet("YOUR_WALLET_ADDRESS", "0x00000...", 8546)

Alternatively, you can use the chainid field in your Ethereum API response to manually set the chain ID. For example:

apiResp := &models.EthereumAPIResponse{
ChainID: uint256(abi.ToUint256("0x...")),
}
wallet, err := wallets.NewLocalhostWallet(apiResp.WalletAddress, "YOUR_WALLET_ADDRESS")

Conclusion

In summary, the Metamask balance display issue when moving from localhost 8545 to mainnet can be solved by updating your Ethereum node configuration or using the chainID parameter with Metamask. By following these steps, you should be able to clearly display your ETH balance on both mainnet and localhost setup.

Code example

Here is an updated version of the code snippet showing how to manually set the chain ID:

package main
import (
"encoding/json"
"fmt"
"log"
"ethereum/go-ethers/abi"
"ethereum/go-ethers/packages"
"ethereum/go-ethers/wallets"
)
func main() {
wallet := wallets.NewLocalhostWallet("YOUR_WALLET_ADDRESS", "0x00000...", 8546)
fmt.Println("Initial balance:", wallet.BalanceString())
// Edit account settings to switch from mainnet to localhost change
wallet.SetChainID(api.Config().ChainID)
fmt.Println("Balance after setting chain ID:")
fmt.Println(wallet.BalanceString())
}

Remember to replace YOUR_WALLET_ADDRESS and 0x00000... with your actual wallet address and hex value.