Working with timestamps on Virtual Environments

For certain types of tests it’s useful to skip through time. This is possible from the dashboard with Configure next block, or over RPC with 2 Admin RPC methods available on Virtual Environments: evm_increaseTime and evm_setNextBlockTimestamp.

Getting the correct time

During execution of a transaction or eth_call accesses block.timestamp within a contract, the value will depend on whether the target block (latest or pending) block:

For pending block: block.timestamp == time.now() + adjustment_offset. This represents the current time adjusted by the time-adjustment methods.
For latest block: block.timestamp == latest_block.timestamp. This is the timestamp of the most recently mined block.

The adjustment_offset comes from time-adjustment methods:

evm_setNextBlockTimestamp: Skips time to the timestamp for the next block: adjustment_offset = timestamp - time.now().
evm_increaseTime: Advances time by a relative amount. adjustment_offset += increase_value

Examples

Increase time by an offset

showLineNumbers

VIRTUAL_TESTNET_RPC=https://YOUR-RPC-URL-HERE
curl -s -X POST \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "method": "evm_increaseTime",
    "params": ["0xe10"],
    "id": 2
  }' "$VIRTUAL_TESTNET_RPC"

Set timestamp for pending block

showLineNumbers

VIRTUAL_TESTNET_RPC=https://YOUR-RPC-URL-HERE

# Get the current date in Unix timestamp format
current_date=$(date +%s)

# Use evm_setTime to set the block time to today (current timestamp)
curl -s -X POST \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "method": "evm_setNextBlockTimestamp",
    "params": ["'"$current_date"'"],
    "id": 3
  }' "$VIRTUAL_TESTNET_RPC"

Configure the next block from the dashboard

In the Virtual Environment header, open the menu next to Mine and select Configure next block.

Configure next block dialog with an Add blocks field set to 1, Time configuration options Increase time and Set UNIX timestamp, a 10 seconds value, a preview table showing Mainnet block 25265709 changing to 25265710, and Fetch latest, Mine with next transaction, and Mine now buttons — Configure next block dialog, opened from the menu next to Mine.

Field or button	What it does
Add blocks	Number of blocks to add.
Increase time	Moves the next block’s timestamp forward by the entered amount. The unit dropdown offers seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, and months.
Set UNIX timestamp	Sets the next block’s timestamp to an absolute UNIX timestamp.
Preview table	Shows each network’s current block number and time, and the values the next block will get.
Fetch latest	Reloads the current block number and time in the preview table.
Mine with next transaction	Applies the configuration to the block of the next transaction sent to the Virtual Environment.
Mine now	Mines the configured block immediately.

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Working with timestamps on Virtual Environments

Getting the correct time

Examples

Increase time by an offset

Set timestamp for pending block

Configure the next block from the dashboard

​Getting the correct time

​Examples

​Increase time by an offset

​Set timestamp for pending block

​Configure the next block from the dashboard

Getting the correct time

Examples

Increase time by an offset

Set timestamp for pending block

Configure the next block from the dashboard