TL;DR
- Hedera introduced MirrorNodeAccountBalanceQuery as the SDK-native replacement for AccountBalanceQuery, letting developers read HBAR balances from Mirror Nodes without hand-built REST calls.
- The new query is available in JavaScript, Java and Go, supports multiple account ID formats, requires no HBAR payment and includes automatic retries for transient errors.
- Migration is mandatory for applications using AccountBalanceQuery because its consensus-node endpoint is throttled to zero on testnet and mainnet from software release v0.77.
Hedera has introduced MirrorNodeAccountBalanceQuery, an SDK-native replacement for AccountBalanceQuery that lets developers read HBAR balances from Mirror Node infrastructure without leaving the query interface. In the official announcement, Hedera said the method is available in JavaScript, Java and Go Hiero SDKs and requires no new dependencies or client configuration. For developers building on Hedera, the migration shifts balance reads away from consensus nodes. MirrorNodeAccountBalanceQuery turns a REST-based data path into a first-class SDK workflow while preserving the AccountBalance-style result developers already use.
Hedera Moves HBAR Balance Reads to Mirror Nodes
MirrorNodeAccountBalanceQuery retrieves an account’s HBAR balance from the Mirror Node GET /api/v1/balances endpoint. The method is free to execute, requires no query payment and automatically retries transient 5xx responses or network failures using exponential backoff. It also accepts account identifiers, including shard.realm.num, EVM addresses, public-key aliases and contract IDs through setAccountId. That flexibility brings Mirror Node resolution into SDK-based account lookups, extending Hedera’s broader developer tooling strategy without forcing applications to build custom REST or retry logic.
The migration itself is small. In JavaScript, developers replace the AccountBalanceQuery import with MirrorNodeAccountBalanceQuery and keep the same setAccountId and execute pattern. Java and Go follow flows. Rust, Swift and C++ applications can still access the same balance data directly through the Mirror Node REST endpoint using the client’s mirror-network configuration. The change reduces migration friction while aligning account-balance reads with Hedera’s Mirror Node architecture and its open-source SDK ecosystem.
The shift is mandatory for applications that depend on AccountBalanceQuery. Hedera said the consensus-node endpoint behind that query is throttled to zero on testnet and mainnet as of Consensus Node software v0.77. Developers must therefore update to a recent SDK release and replace the deprecated query. Applications that do not use AccountBalanceQuery are unaffected. The deprecation makes Mirror Node migration an operational requirement rather than an optional optimization for affected applications, reinforcing the role of Mirror Node infrastructure.
There is one timing consideration. Mirror Nodes receive data from consensus nodes after propagation, which can take several seconds. Hedera recommends adding a short retry or polling step when reading a balance immediately after submitting a transaction, or relying on the transaction receipt. Developers are encouraged to test MirrorNodeAccountBalanceQuery against a testnet account before deployment. The new method gives applications a supported migration path while keeping balance reads inside Hedera’s native SDK experience.
