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Overview

The Network Call Sidecar is a powerful EVM++ Sidecar that enables smart contracts to initiate arbitrary HTTP requests as part of on-chain execution. This unlocks a new design space for blockchain applications—from accessing real-world data APIs to integrating with existing web services, all while maintaining the security and verifiability guarantees of blockchain systems.

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Current State

While existing oracle networks reliably surface public datasets (e.g., price feeds), they fall short when your dApp needs to:

  • Query long‑tail or rapidly‑changing endpoints (REST, GraphQL, gRPC).
  • Access permissioned APIs that require secrets or bearer tokens.
  • Chain multiple HTTP calls together inside a single, atomic transaction.
  • Prove—on‑chain—that no tampering occurred in flight.

Developers either surrender to centralized servers or stitch together complex “sign + relay” flows that erode the determinism and composability the EVM promises. Key limitations of current approaches include:

  • Secret Management – Exposing API keys to validator mempools or third‑party relayers breaks confidentiality.
  • Trusted Middlemen – Data integrity hinges on the oracle or relayer behaving honestly.
  • Latency & Fee Overheads – Multi‑step publish/subscribe/callback patterns inflate block inclusion time and gas costs.
  • Limited Expressiveness – One‑size‑fits‑all feeds cannot adapt to niche endpoints or custom payloads.
  • Complex scaffolding - custom functions and accounting required to be built for standard web2 data retrieval adds friction and overhead.

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Why Network Calls Matter

Traditional blockchains operate in isolation. Smart contracts can only access data that exists on-chain, creating a fundamental limitation: they cannot interact with the vast ecosystem of web APIs, data sources, and services that power today’s internet. While oracles provide some connectivity, they require pre-defined data feeds and trusted intermediaries.

The Network Call Sidecar eliminates these constraints. Smart contracts can now:

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Access any HTTP endpoint directly from contract logic

Fetch real-time data from arbitrary sources.

2

Interact with web services as naturally as any web application

Integrate with permissioned APIs using encrypted credentials.

3

Rely on cryptographic and hardware based trust guarantees instead of economic incentives

This isn’t just an incremental improvement—it’s a paradigm shift in what’s possible on-chain.

This isn’t just an incremental improvement—it’s a paradigm shift in what’s possible on-chain.

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Architecture at a Glance

The Network Call Sidecar operates as a specialized compute module within Ritual’s EVM++ architecture. When a smart contract invokes a network call:

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The request is routed to the Network Call Sidecar through a precompile

2

The sidecar executes the HTTP request within a TEE (Trusted Execution Environment)

3

Results are cryptographically attested and returned to the smart contract

4

The entire process maintains verifiable execution guarantees

This design ensures that network calls are both trust-minimized and verifiable, preserving the core security guarantees of blockchains while unlocking powerful off-chain capabilities.

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Unlocking New Application Categories

The Network Call Sidecar enables entirely new categories of blockchain applications:

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Dynamic DeFi Protocols

Access real-time market data beyond established public token datasets: second hand luxury watch data, real estate bids, off track betting, electricity prices - if there is a HTTP data feed, your dapp can now use it, without the need to incentivize third party oracles to procure the data.

Whether you are building an on-chain derivatives market for long tail assets, creating a prediction market using real world data, or leveraging bespoke data sets to generate alpha for your cross chain yield protocol, the network call sidecar makes it as easy as calling a precompile - all in a trust minimized fashion using Ritual’s trusted execution stack.

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Unconstrained Smart Contracts

Leverage existing offchain model providers or tooling APIs directly in your smart contracts, allowing you to mix and match both off-chain and on-chain models depending on the use case. If your state-of-the-art model needs to be closed source, Ritual Network calls provide an easy on-chain integration path that doesn’t force you to throw away your existing AI infrastructure investments. With support for encrypted secrets, these services can be accessed in a verifiable way without exposing user credentials to the blockchain.

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Cross-Platform Integrations

Connect blockchain applications with traditional web services, enterprise APIs, and cloud platforms.

You want to leverage points of interest or routing data from your favorite mapping API? Access github repositories? Spawn offchain services dynamically from your favorite cloud provider? Make real world purchases from your favorite market place?

All from a trust minimized dapp?

Ritual Network Calls is the answer.

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Actual Infrastructure For On-Chain Agents

Create complex agentic workflows unconstrained by on-chain or offchain or even single-chain constraints, weaved together using Ritual Network Calls and other primitives.

An on-chain agent informed by CEX data that places trades on hyperliquid? A fully autonomous agent that can make and receive stablecoin payments? Multiple agents with different objectives coordinating through both onchain and off chain incentive mechanisms? These use cases are highly dependent on having a trust minimized way to access offchain data and value transfer.

Ritual is building infrastructure for the agentic future.

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Security Through TEE Isolation

Security is paramount when connecting blockchains to external networks. The Network Call Sidecar leverages Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) to ensure:

  • Isolated Execution: Network requests run in hardware-enforced secure enclaves.
  • Attestable Results: proofs verify that requests were executed correctly.
  • Credential Protection: Encrypted secrets remain secure throughout the entire flow.
  • Tamper Resistance: TEE guarantees prevent manipulation of network call execution.

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The Future is Connected

The Network Call Sidecar represents a fundamental expansion of what’s possible on-chain. By breaking down the walls between blockchains and the broader internet, we’re not just improving existing use cases—we’re enabling entirely new ones that were previously unimaginable.

This is the power of Ritual’s EVM++ architecture: full compatibility with existing smart contracts, yet dramatically expanding the computational palette available to developers. The Network Call Sidecar is just the beginning. It shows how modular, specialized computation can redefine what blockchains are capable of.

Ready to connect your smart contracts to the world?