Signed Read Pattern

Authenticated read pattern with encrypted request and response

This example demonstrates the authenticated read pattern: create a signed provider, deploy a contract, write shielded data, read it back with a signed read, and compare with a transparent read to show the difference.

Prerequisites

export PRIVATE_KEY="0xac0974bec39a17e36ba4a6b4d238ff944bacb478cbed5efcae784d7bf4f2ff80"
export RPC_URL="https://testnet-1.seismictest.net/rpc"

Cargo.toml — see Installation for the full template including the required [patch.crates-io] block:

[package]
name = "signed-read-pattern"
version = "0.1.0"
edition = "2021"
rust-version = "1.82"

[dependencies]
seismic-prelude        = { git = "https://github.com/SeismicSystems/seismic-alloy" }
seismic-alloy-network  = { git = "https://github.com/SeismicSystems/seismic-alloy" }
seismic-alloy-provider = { git = "https://github.com/SeismicSystems/seismic-alloy" }
alloy-provider         = "1.1"
alloy-signer-local     = "1.1"
alloy-primitives       = "1.1"
alloy-sol-types        = "1.1"
alloy-network          = "1.1"
tokio                  = { version = "1", features = ["full"] }
reqwest                = "0.12"

# [patch.crates-io] block required — see Installation.

Complete Example

use seismic_prelude::client::*;
use seismic_alloy_network::reth::SeismicReth;
use alloy_network::ReceiptResponse;
use alloy_provider::Provider;

sol! {
    #[sol(rpc, bytecode = "6080604052...")]
    contract SeismicCounter {
        function setNumber(suint256 newNumber) public;
        function increment() public;
        function isOdd() public view returns (bool);
    }
}

#[tokio::main]
async fn main() -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
    // -------------------------------------------------------
    // 1. Create signed provider
    // -------------------------------------------------------
    let signer: PrivateKeySigner = std::env::var("PRIVATE_KEY")?.parse()?;
    let wallet = SeismicWallet::<SeismicReth>::from(signer);
    let url: reqwest::Url = std::env::var("RPC_URL")?.parse()?;

    let provider = SeismicProviderBuilder::new()
        .wallet(wallet)
        .connect_http(url)
        .await?;
    println!("Provider ready. Block: {}", provider.get_block_number().await?);

    // -------------------------------------------------------
    // 2. Deploy contract
    // -------------------------------------------------------
    let contract = SeismicCounter::deploy(&provider).await?;
    println!("Contract deployed at: {:?}", contract.address());

    // -------------------------------------------------------
    // 3. Write data (shielded) — setNumber(42)
    // -------------------------------------------------------
    // setNumber has suint256 param — auto-encrypts
    let write_receipt = contract
        .setNumber(alloy_primitives::aliases::SUInt(U256::from(42)))
        .send()
        .await?
        .get_receipt()
        .await?;
    assert!(write_receipt.status());
    println!("Shielded write confirmed (setNumber(42))");

    // -------------------------------------------------------
    // 4. Read it back (signed read) — isOdd()
    // -------------------------------------------------------
    println!("\n--- Signed Read (.seismic().call()) ---");
    let signed_result = contract.isOdd().seismic().call().await?;
    println!("isOdd() via signed read: {signed_result}");
    println!("  - msg.sender = your wallet address");
    println!("  - Calldata was encrypted");
    println!("  - Response was encrypted, then decrypted by provider");

    // -------------------------------------------------------
    // 5. Compare with transparent read — .call()
    // -------------------------------------------------------
    println!("\n--- Transparent Read (.call()) ---");
    let transparent_result = contract.isOdd().call().await?;
    println!("isOdd() via transparent read: {transparent_result}");
    println!("  - msg.sender = 0x0 (zero address)");
    println!("  - Calldata was plaintext");
    println!("  - Response was plaintext");

    // -------------------------------------------------------
    // 6. Show the difference
    // -------------------------------------------------------
    println!("\n--- Comparison ---");
    println!("Signed read result:      {signed_result}");
    println!("Transparent read result:  {transparent_result}");

    // For isOdd() which does not depend on msg.sender,
    // both results should be the same.
    // For functions that check msg.sender (e.g., balanceOf()),
    // the transparent read would return the zero address's data.
    if signed_result == transparent_result {
        println!("Results match — isOdd() does not depend on msg.sender");
    } else {
        println!("Results differ — the function depends on msg.sender");
    }

    Ok(())
}

When Results Differ

The example above uses isOdd(), which does not depend on msg.sender. Both reads return the same value. To see a real difference, consider a contract where the view function uses msg.sender:

sol! {
    #[sol(rpc)]
    contract PrivateBalance {
        // Uses msg.sender internally to look up caller's balance
        function balanceOf() public view returns (uint256);
    }
}

let contract = PrivateBalance::new(contract_address, &provider);

// Signed read: msg.sender = your address, returns YOUR balance
let your_balance = contract.balanceOf().seismic().call().await?;
println!("Your balance: {your_balance}");
// e.g., "Your balance: 1000"

// Transparent read: msg.sender = 0x0, returns zero address balance
let zero_balance = contract.balanceOf().call().await?;
println!("Zero address balance: {zero_balance}");
// e.g., "Zero address balance: 0"

Key Differences at a Glance

Aspect

.seismic().call() (Signed Read)

.call() (Transparent Read)

Method

contract.method().seismic().call()

contract.method().call()

msg.sender

Your wallet address

Zero address (0x0)

Calldata

Encrypted with AES-GCM

Plaintext

Response

Encrypted by TEE, decrypted by provider

Plaintext

Provider

SeismicSignedProvider only

Any provider

Privacy

Full (observers see nothing)

None (calldata and result visible)

Expected Output

Provider ready. Block: 12345
Contract deployed at: 0x5FbDB2315678afecb367f032d93F642f64180aa3
Shielded write confirmed (setNumber(42))

--- Signed Read (.seismic().call()) ---
isOdd() via signed read: false
  - msg.sender = your wallet address
  - Calldata was encrypted
  - Response was encrypted, then decrypted by provider

--- Transparent Read (.call()) ---
isOdd() via transparent read: false
  - msg.sender = 0x0 (zero address)
  - Calldata was plaintext
  - Response was plaintext

--- Comparison ---
Signed read result:      false
Transparent read result:  false
Results match — isOdd() does not depend on msg.sender

Next Steps

Shielded Write Complete - Full shielded write lifecycle
Contract Deployment - Deploy and interact patterns
Basic Setup - Provider setup details