Input & Output | Centrifuge

Shared Input Pattern

Every operation takes resource and operation, plus its own operation-specific fields. Unlike some other chain nodes, network is not a blanket third key here — whether it's needed (and which field plays its role) depends on the operation:

Operation	Network-ish Field	Required?
`account.getBalance`	`network`	✓ Yes — calls the chain
`utility.chainInfo`	`network`	✓ Yes — calls the chain
`utility.validateAddress`	— none	Not used — local only
`utility.convertAddress`	`targetNetwork` (a distinct field)	✓ Yes — but it's a re-encoding target, not an RPC target
`utility.convertUnits`	— none	Not used — local only
`utility.convertRate`	— none	Not used — local only

No default network. Where network is required, there is no DefaultNetwork-style fallback to fall back to — omitting it returns CFG_MISSING_NETWORK rather than silently picking mainnet. See Networks.

All Config Keys

Key	Used By
`resource`	Every operation — `account` or `utility`
`operation`	Every operation — the operation name within that resource
`network`	`account.getBalance`, `utility.chainInfo`
`address`	`account.getBalance`, `utility.validateAddress`, `utility.convertAddress`
`targetNetwork`	`utility.convertAddress`
`amount`	`utility.convertUnits`
`fromUnit` / `toUnit`	`utility.convertUnits`
`decimals`	`utility.convertUnits`
`rate`	`utility.convertRate`
`direction`	`utility.convertRate`

Shared Output Shape

A successful call returns a JSON object whose fields are documented on each operation's page, plus a status: "success" field. There's no additional wrapper envelope — the fields listed on each operation page are the output.

How Errors Surface

Every error, regardless of cause, surfaces via the node's error output port with the same structured shape:

{
  "errorCode": "CFG_CHAIN_UNAVAILABLE",
  "message": "...",
  "status": "error"
}

Situation	What happens
Missing required field	A `CFG_MISSING_*` code, checked before any network call is attempted.
Unknown/unconfigured `network` or `targetNetwork`	`CFG_INVALID_NETWORK`, before any HTTP call is made.
Malformed SS58 address	`VAL_INVALID_SS58_ADDRESS`.
Address prefix doesn't match the selected network	`VAL_NETWORK_MISMATCH`.
Substrate RPC endpoint unreachable or times out	`CHAIN_RPC_UNAVAILABLE` / `CHAIN_TIMEOUT` — see Troubleshooting.
Attempting a write (e.g. `account.transfer`)	`CHAIN_SIGNING_NOT_AVAILABLE` — see Roadmap.

Idempotent by nature. Every operation shipped today is either a read or a pure local conversion, so calling the same operation twice with the same input is always safe — there's no risk of double-submitting an extrinsic. That changes once signed writes ship; see Roadmap.