The view Functions

Understanding view functions

Solidity contracts have view functions, sometimes known as read-only functions. They allow us to query the contract’s state without changing it. This attribute is critical for security because it allows third-party users to retrieve data from the blockchain without fear of unintentional state changes. They include the following key properties:

• Non-state-changing: As the name implies, they don’t affect the state of the contract. They exist solely to read and query data.

• Gas-free for callers: Callers don’t consume gas fees when calling a view function from outside parties or contracts. This means that anyone can use these functions with no transaction fee.

• Immutable: They’re ideal for retrieving data that doesn’t change over time, such as configuration settings, balances, or contract-specific information. ...