Polkadot Network Migration: What's Changing and How It Affects Your RPC Endpoints?

Polkadot Asset Hub Migration Decision Checklist

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Background: The Asset Hub Migration

On November 4, 2025, Polkadot completed one of its most significant upgrades: the Asset Hub Migration (AHM). Core network functions—balances, staking, and governance—were moved from the Polkadot Relay Chain to the Polkadot Asset Hub, a specialized system parachain designed to handle user-facing operations. The Relay Chain now focuses solely on consensus, security, and interoperability via XCM (Cross-Consensus Messaging).

This migration was not just a network upgrade; it fundamentally changed where RPC calls must be directed. For developers, infrastructure operators, and dApp maintainers, understanding what moved—and what stayed—is critical to keeping applications running smoothly.

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What Moved and What Didn't

Moved to Asset Hub

• Balances: system.account, transfers, and the entire balance pallet.
• Staking: Nomination pools, validators, and era payout logic.
• Governance: Referenda, voting, and treasury management. Note: The Relay Chain's staking pallet is deprecated; use Asset Hub's staking pallet.

Stayed on Relay Chain

• Consensus: Block production, finality (GRANDPA), and BABE.
• Parachain slot auctions and management.
• Core XCM routing infrastructure.

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Impact on RPC Endpoints and Node Operations

For RPC Endpoints

Your RPC provider must now expose both the Relay Chain endpoint and an Asset Hub endpoint. User-oriented queries (balance, staking, governance) must target Asset Hub. Relay Chain endpoints will return limited user data after migration.

Example: Querying the Relay Chain for a DOT balance after migration returns zero or outdated state:

# Post-migration: this will no longer work for user balances
curl -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "system.account",
  "params": ["13m5yA..."],
  "id": 1
}' https://polkadot-rpc.publicnode.com

Instead, direct the same call to the Asset Hub endpoint:

# Correct target: Asset Hub
curl -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "system.account",
  "params": ["13m5yA..."],
  "id": 1
}' https://asset-hub-polkadot-rpc.publicnode.com

For Node Operators

If you run your own node, you must either:

• Sync a Relay Chain node (for consensus data) and an Asset Hub parachain node (for user data), or
• Use a provider that offers a merged API, such as OnFinality's Polkadot RPC endpoints that automatically route calls to the correct chain based on method.

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How to Update Your RPC Connections

1. Check your provider's documentation for Asset Hub endpoint URLs. Many providers list them as asset-hub-polkadot.rpc... or similar.
2. Rewrite your application logic to route user queries (balance, staking, governance) to Asset Hub.
3. Test thoroughly using a testnet that mirrors the migration (Kusama Asset Hub migration occurred first).
4. Monitor for errors such as “Method not found” or empty returns—these often indicate the wrong chain target.

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Common Pitfalls During the Migration

• Assuming Relay Chain still holds balances: After the migration block, Relay Chain's system.account returns zero for user accounts.
• Using Relay Chain staking pallet: Staking RPCs must now reference Asset Hub's staking pallet; legacy calls fail.
• Ignoring XCM routing: Cross-chain applications that previously sent user funds via Relay Chain may need to direct them through Asset Hub.
• Caching old chain specs: Update your chain specification files; relay chain and asset hub have different genesis hashes and types.

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Key Takeaways

1. The Asset Hub Migration is complete as of November 4, 2025; no user action was required, but dApp and infrastructure updates are essential.
2. Balances, staking, and governance now live on Asset Hub; Relay Chain handles consensus and parachain operations.
3. RPC endpoints must target the correct chain per operation—Asset Hub for user data, Relay Chain for protocol data.
4. OnFinality provides Polkadot RPC endpoints that simplify this routing, supporting both Relay Chain and Asset Hub queries through a unified API.
5. If you operate your own node, you need to run both a Relay Chain node and an Asset Hub parachain node, or use a managed RPC service to avoid operational overhead.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Will my DOT balance show incorrectly if I still use the old Relay Chain endpoint? A: Yes. After migration, queries to the Relay Chain's system.account will return zero. You must query Asset Hub to see your actual balance.

Q: Do I need to update smart contract calls? A: Only if those calls reference on-chain balances or staking. Contract interactions on parachains remain unaffected, but any pallet interactions moved to Asset Hub must be redirected.

Q: What about governance? Can I still vote via the Relay Chain? A: No. Governance functions have moved to Asset Hub. Use a wallet or app that targets the Asset Hub endpoint for voting.

Q: Will historical RPC data (archive) be lost? A: No, but you need archive nodes for both chains to reconstruct pre-migration state. Most RPC providers retain Relay Chain archive data for a period.

Q: How do I know if my RPC provider supports Asset Hub? A: Check their network list. If they list "Polkadot Asset Hub" or "AssetHub Polkadot" as a separate network, they do. OnFinality supports both under our Polkadot network.