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How to fetch object data

Audience: developers implementing their first Sui read operation. Goal: write a Node.js script to retrieve and inspect raw object data from the Sui devnet.

Overview​

In this tutorial, you use SuiClient to perform a read operation. You query the Sui devnet for an on-chain non-fungible token (NFT) object to inspect its attributes.

What you build: A lightweight Node.js script that connects to the network, requests an object by its ID, and prints the JSON response.

Prerequisites​

  • Node.js: v18.0.0 or later.
  • Package Manager: npm or yarn.
  • Terminal: basic command-line skills.

1. Set up the project​

  1. Create and navigate to a new directory:

    Terminal
    mkdir sui-data-fetcher && cd sui-data-fetcher

  2. Initialize a Node project and configure it for ES Modules:

    Terminal
    npm init -y
    npm pkg set type="module"

  3. Install the Sui TypeScript SDK:

    Terminal
    npm install @mysten/sui

2. Initialize the client​

Create a file named index.js. Start by importing the client and connecting it to the devnet.

index.js
import { SuiClient, getFullnodeUrl } from '@mysten/sui/client';

// Configuration
const NETWORK = 'devnet';

// 1. Initialize the client
// getFullnodeUrl automatically resolves the correct RPC endpoint for 'devnet'
const client = new SuiClient({
	url: getFullnodeUrl(NETWORK),
});

console.log(`✅ Connected to Sui ${NETWORK}`);

3. Write the query logic​

Query a known "devnet Non-Fungible Token (NFT)" object.

note

On devnet, objects are frequently deleted during network wipes. If the ID below fails, you may need to find a fresh Object ID from the Sui Explorer.

Append the following code to index.js:

index.js
// A known Object ID on devnet (Example NFT)
const TARGET_OBJECT_ID = '0x7d6539b7a423b035109b823e20c641c73defd23b8f3107b38d1d368688c2797c';

async function fetchObjectData() {
	try {
		console.log(`🔍 Querying object: ${TARGET_OBJECT_ID}...`);

		// 2. Execute the fetch
		const response = await client.getObject({
			id: TARGET_OBJECT_ID,
			// "options" determines how much data the node returns.
			// We strictly request the content (fields) to keep the payload small.
			options: {
				showContent: true,
				showType: true
			}
		});

		// 3. Handle the response
		if (response.error) {
			throw new Error(`Object not found: ${response.error.code}`);
		}

		console.log('--- Object Data ---');
		console.dir(response.data, { depth: null, colors: true });

	} catch (err) {
		console.error('❌ Query failed:', err.message);
	}
}

fetchObjectData();

4. Run and verify​

Run the script in your terminal:

Terminal
node index.js

Understanding the output​

You should see a JSON structure like this:

Output
{
  "objectId": "0x7d...",
  "version": "120",
  "digest": "AuF...",
  "type": "0x2::devnet_nft::DevNetNFT",
  "content": {
    "dataType": "moveObject",
    "fields": {
      "name": "Sui DevNet NFT",
      "description": "An NFT created by the Sui DevNet",
      "url": "ipfs://..."
    }
  }
}
  • digest: a hash verifying the object's version.
  • type: the specific Move Language type definition (Package::Module::Type).
  • content.fields: the actual data stored on-chain (for example, the name, description, and image URL of the NFT).

Next steps​

You have successfully fetched raw data, but you likely noticed the options parameter in the code. To explore available query parameters and continue learning: