Differences from Ethereum Mainnet - Cosmos Documentation

The EVM module is still in active development: Some of what is detailed here may change or be removed entirely as development continues. This document represents the current state of the implementation.

Quick Summary

Most Important Differences for Developers:

Instant finality - No block reorganizations, transactions are final after one block
1-2 second blocks - Much faster than Ethereum’s 12-15 seconds
Configurable base fee - Can be dynamic (EIP-1559) or disabled, distributed to validators instead of burned
Native IBC - Built-in cross-chain communication without bridges
Cosmos precompiles - Direct access to staking, governance, and other Cosmos SDK modules
No pending state - Transactions are either in mempool or committed
EIP compatibility - Most Core EIPs supported with some consensus-related exceptions (see full matrix)

Core Differences

Aspect	Cosmos EVM	Standard EVM	Impact
Transaction Ordering	Fee priority and nonce with mempool	Gas price and nonce	Similar ordering with two-tier system
Transactions per Block	Multiple per account	Multiple per account	Full Ethereum compatibility
Mempool	Two-tiered mempool	Traditional mempool	Supports nonce gaps and batching
Block Rewards	Native token inflation to validators	Block rewards + tips	Different economic model
Consensus	Tendermint BFT	Proof of Work/Stake	1-2 second vs 12+ second blocks
Finality	Immediate (single block)	Probabilistic (12+ confirmations)	No waiting period vs 12-15 minute finality
Chain Reorganizations	Not possible	Possible	Event handling simplified
Address Formats	Dual (0x… and cosmos1…)	Ethereum only (0x…)	Cross-format compatibility
Gas Token	Native chain token	ETH/derivatives	Chain-specific economics
Base Fee	Configurable (can be 0 or dynamic)	Dynamic based on demand	Chain-specific configuration
Block Time	1-2 seconds	12-15 seconds (varies by L2)	Faster transaction confirmation
Cross-chain	Native IBC	Bridge protocols	Built-in interoperability

Gas Price Behavior

// May return 0 if NoBaseFee is true, or dynamic value if EIP-1559 is enabled
uint256 baseFee = block.basefee;

// BaseFee is distributed to validators (not burned)
// Lower-bounded by global min-gas-price
uint256 gasPrice = tx.gasprice;

Cosmos EVM supports EIP-1559 with dynamic base fees, but with key differences:

Base fee is distributed to validators instead of burned (preserving token economics)
Can be disabled via NoBaseFee parameter (returns 0 for block.basefee)
Lower-bounded by global min-gas-price configuration
Calculated based on previous block’s gas usage when enabled
Unlike Ethereum where base fee is burned, Cosmos EVM maintains token supply

Precompiled Contracts

Cosmos EVM Precompiles

Cosmos EVM provides access to native Cosmos SDK modules through precompiled contracts:

Module	Address	Purpose
Staking	`0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000800`	Delegate, undelegate, redelegate tokens
Distribution	`0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000801`	Claim rewards, manage withdrawals
IBC Transfer	`0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000802`	Cross-chain token transfers
Governance	`0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000805`	Submit/vote on proposals
Bank	`0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000804`	ERC20-style access to native tokens
Slashing	`0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000806`	Validator slashing and jail management
Bech32	`0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000400`	Address format conversion
P256	`0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000100`	P-256 elliptic curve operations
ERC20	Dynamic per token	Standard ERC20 for native Cosmos tokens
WERC20	Dynamic per token	Wrapped native token functionality

For detailed usage examples and implementation guides, see Precompiled Contracts.

Standard EVM Precompiles

Standard cryptographic functions available on both implementations:

Address	Function	Available on Cosmos EVM
`0x01`	`ecrecover`	Yes
`0x02`	`sha256`	Yes
`0x03`	`ripemd160`	Yes
`0x04`	`identity`	Yes
`0x05`	`modexp`	Yes
`0x06`	`ecadd`	Yes
`0x07`	`ecmul`	Yes
`0x08`	`ecpairing`	Yes
`0x09`	`blake2f`	Yes

JSON-RPC Method Support

Cosmos EVM implements most standard Ethereum JSON-RPC methods with some limitations due to consensus differences:

Method Category	Examples	Notes
Core Methods	`eth_getBalance`, `eth_call`, `eth_sendTransaction`, `eth_getTransactionReceipt`	Full compatibility
Gas Methods	`eth_gasPrice`, `eth_estimateGas`, `eth_maxPriorityFeePerGas`, `eth_feeHistory`	Full EIP-1559 support
Block Methods	`eth_blockNumber`, `eth_getBlockByHash`, `eth_getBlockByNumber`	Immediate finality
Mining Stub Methods	`eth_coinbase`, `eth_mining` (always false), `eth_hashrate` (always 0)	Returns static values for compatibility
Uncle Methods	`eth_getUncleCount` (always 0), `eth_getUncleBy` (always null)	Returns expected values for no uncles
Filter Methods	`eth_newFilter`, `eth_newBlockFilter`, `eth_getFilterChanges`, `eth_getFilterLogs`	Full filter support with block range limits
Transaction Methods	`eth_resend`, `eth_sendRawTransaction`, `eth_getTransactionByHash`	Full transaction management
Personal Methods	`personal_sign`, `personal_newAccount`, `personal_importRawKey`, `personal_sendTransaction`, `personal_ecRecover`, `personal_lockAccount`, `personal_unlockAccount`	Full implementation
Debug Methods	`debug_traceTransaction`, `debug_traceBlockByNumber`, `debug_traceCall`, `debug_memStats`, `debug_freeOSMemory`, etc.	Full implementation
Admin Methods	`admin_peers`, `admin_nodeInfo`, `admin_datadir`, `admin_startHTTP`, `admin_stopHTTP`, `admin_startWS`, `admin_stopWS`	Full implementation

For a complete list of all JSON-RPC methods with implementation status, see the Ethereum JSON-RPC Methods reference.

Additional JSON-RPC Methods

Cosmos EVM implements these non-standard methods:

Method	Purpose
`eth_getTransactionLogs`	Retrieve logs for a specific transaction
`eth_getBlockReceipts`	Get all receipts for a given block
`debug_freeOSMemory`	Force garbage collection
`debug_setGCPercent`	Configure garbage collector
`debug_memStats`	Return detailed memory statistics
`debug_setBlockProfileRate`	Set block profiling rate
`debug_writeBlockProfile`	Write block profile to file
`debug_writeMemProfile`	Write memory profile to file
`debug_writeMutexProfile`	Write mutex profile to file

Unimplemented Standard Methods

These standard Ethereum methods are not available:

Method	Category	Reason
All `trace_*` methods	Trace	Parity/OpenEthereum trace methods not implemented
`eth_subscribe` syncing	WebSocket	Only newHeads, logs, and newPendingTransactions events supported

Non-Relevant RPC Namespaces

The following Ethereum RPC namespaces are not implemented or relevant to Cosmos EVM due to architectural differences:

Namespace	Purpose	Why Not Relevant
`les_*`	Light Ethereum Subprotocol	Cosmos uses full nodes with Tendermint consensus, no light client protocol
`clique_*`	Clique PoA consensus	Cosmos uses Tendermint BFT consensus instead of Proof of Authority
`engine_*`	Engine API for PoS	Used for Ethereum’s execution/consensus client separation, not applicable with Tendermint
`trace_*`	Parity/OpenEthereum tracing	Different tracing implementation, limited `debug_*` methods available instead
`miner_*`	Mining operations	No mining in Tendermint BFT consensus, but stub methods respond for compatibility
`parity_*`	Parity-specific methods	Client-specific methods not implemented
`bor_*`	Polygon Bor consensus	Chain-specific consensus methods not applicable

Cosmos EVM focuses on implementing the core eth_*, web3_*, net_*, txpool_*, personal_*, debug_*, and admin_* namespaces that are essential for Ethereum compatibility and developer tooling.

Address Format Examples

Cosmos EVM supports dual address formats with deterministic conversion:

Ethereum: 0x742d35cc6644c068532fddb11B4C36A58D6D3eAb
Cosmos:   cosmos1wskntvnryr5qxpe4tv5k64rhc6kx6ma4dxjmav

Both formats represent the same account and can be used interchangeably. Use the Bech32 precompile at 0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000400 for conversion.

EIP Compatibility

Cosmos EVM implements most Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) through the Geth EVM, with modifications for Cosmos consensus compatibility.

For a comprehensive searchable table of all 339+ Core EIPs with implementation status, see the EIP Compatibility Matrix.

Implementation Strategy

Core EVM Features: Most opcodes and execution features are inherited directly from Geth EVM
Consensus-Related: Features related to PoW/PoS consensus are not applicable due to Tendermint BFT
Economic Model: EIP-1559 implemented with modifications (fees to validators instead of burning)
Future Support: Critical EIPs like EIP-7702 are actively being developed

Key EIP Implementation Differences

EIP-1559 (Dynamic Base Fee)

Supported
Base fee is distributed to validators instead of burned
Can be disabled via NoBaseFee parameter
Lower-bounded by global min-gas-price
Maintains token supply unlike Ethereum

EIP-155 (Replay Protection)

Different implementation
Currently enforced at chain level rather than per-transaction
Plans to align with Geth implementation for better compatibility
See GitHub Issue #401

EIP-7702 (Set Code for EOAs)

Coming in v0.5.0
Will enable account abstraction capabilities
Critical for wallet innovation and user experience improvements

EIP-2681 (Nonce Limit)

Partial support
Needs stricter overflow checking at AnteHandler
See GitHub Issue #400

EIP-2930 (Access Lists)

Fully supported
eth_createAccessList method implemented
Transaction access lists fully functional

The following categories of EIPs are not applicable due to Cosmos using Tendermint BFT consensus:

Difficulty adjustments: EIP-100, 649, 1234, 2384, 3554, 4345, 5133
Proof-of-Work to Proof-of-Stake transition: EIP-3675
Beacon chain operations: EIP-4788, 4895, 7002, etc.
Validator deposits and withdrawals: EIP-6110, 7044, 7045, 7251, 7514

Additional Key Differences

Transaction Execution

Two-tiered mempool: Local queue for gapped nonces, public pool for executable transactions
Fee-priority ordering: Transactions ordered by fee and nonce similar to Ethereum
Multiple transactions per block per EOA: Full support for batched transactions
Transaction replacement: Same-nonce transactions with higher fees replace lower-fee ones
Deterministic execution: Same transaction order for all validators due to BFT consensus

State and Storage

No state rent: No storage rent or state expiry mechanisms
Pruning: Historical state can be pruned based on node configuration
Archive nodes: Full historical state requires archive node configuration

Network Architecture

Validator set: Fixed validator set with stake-based voting power
No light clients: Full or archive nodes only, no light client protocol
P2P differences: Uses Tendermint P2P networking instead of devp2p

Developer Considerations

Gas refunds: At least 50% of unused gas is refunded (configurable)
Revert reasons: Full revert reason strings always available
Event reliability: Events are immediately final, no need to wait for confirmations
Block timestamps: More reliable due to BFT consensus requirements
Account abstraction: EIP-7702 support coming in v0.5.0 for EOA code delegation
Opcode differences: DIFFICULTY/PREVRANDAO returns 0, COINBASE returns empty address
Chain ID: Enforced at chain level rather than per-transaction (EIP-155)
Storage costs: No state rent mechanisms, pruning configurable per node

Documentation

​Quick Summary

​Core Differences

​Gas Price Behavior

​Precompiled Contracts

​Cosmos EVM Precompiles

​Standard EVM Precompiles

​JSON-RPC Method Support

​Additional JSON-RPC Methods

​Unimplemented Standard Methods

​Non-Relevant RPC Namespaces

​Address Format Examples

​EIP Compatibility

​Implementation Strategy

​Key EIP Implementation Differences

​EIP-1559 (Dynamic Base Fee)

​EIP-155 (Replay Protection)

​EIP-7702 (Set Code for EOAs)

​EIP-2681 (Nonce Limit)

​EIP-2930 (Access Lists)

​Consensus-Related EIPs (Not Applicable)

​Additional Key Differences

​Transaction Execution

​State and Storage

​Network Architecture

​Developer Considerations

Quick Summary

Core Differences

Gas Price Behavior

Precompiled Contracts

Cosmos EVM Precompiles

Standard EVM Precompiles

JSON-RPC Method Support

Additional JSON-RPC Methods

Unimplemented Standard Methods

Non-Relevant RPC Namespaces

Address Format Examples

EIP Compatibility

Implementation Strategy

Key EIP Implementation Differences

EIP-1559 (Dynamic Base Fee)

EIP-155 (Replay Protection)

EIP-7702 (Set Code for EOAs)

EIP-2681 (Nonce Limit)

EIP-2930 (Access Lists)

Consensus-Related EIPs (Not Applicable)

Additional Key Differences

Transaction Execution

State and Storage

Network Architecture

Developer Considerations