# Reading Vault Data

Vault state is readable two ways: directly on-chain (standard ERC‑4626) and via the [Public API](/dedicated-client-vaults/reference/public-api.md) (vault discovery, decoded transactions, performance with live share-price snapshots). Use on-chain reads for per-transaction accounting; prefer the Public API for anything performance- or time-series-related.

### On-chain — ERC‑4626

Everything you need for basic accounting is already on the vault:

```ts
const vaultViewAbi = [
  {type: 'function', stateMutability: 'view', name: 'asset',
   inputs: [], outputs: [{type: 'address'}]},
  {type: 'function', stateMutability: 'view', name: 'totalAssets',
   inputs: [], outputs: [{type: 'uint256'}]},
  {type: 'function', stateMutability: 'view', name: 'balanceOf',
   inputs: [{type: 'address'}], outputs: [{type: 'uint256'}]},
  {type: 'function', stateMutability: 'view', name: 'convertToAssets',
   inputs: [{type: 'uint256'}], outputs: [{type: 'uint256'}]},
  {type: 'function', stateMutability: 'view', name: 'convertToShares',
   inputs: [{type: 'uint256'}], outputs: [{type: 'uint256'}]},
] as const

const [underlying, totalAssets, myShares] = await Promise.all([
  client.readContract({address: vault, abi: vaultViewAbi, functionName: 'asset'}),
  client.readContract({address: vault, abi: vaultViewAbi, functionName: 'totalAssets'}),
  client.readContract({address: vault, abi: vaultViewAbi, functionName: 'balanceOf', args: [owner]}),
])

const myAssets = await client.readContract({
  address: vault, abi: vaultViewAbi, functionName: 'convertToAssets',
  args: [myShares],
})
```

Share price is `totalAssets / totalSupply`. The vault's value per share increases over time as yield compounds.

> ⚠️ **`totalAssets` and anything derived from it (share price, `convertToAssets`, `convertToShares`) only update when there's a transaction that touches the vault** — deposit, withdrawal, rebalance, fee accrual. Between transactions, the on-chain numbers are stale against the underlying positions' live value. If you read the vault at a quiet period, you won't see yield that has accrued in the underlying positions since the last touch.
>
> For live, continuously-refreshed share price and performance, use the [**Public API**](/dedicated-client-vaults/reference/public-api.md) — it publishes hourly snapshots with values simulated against current on-chain state, so they reflect yield accrued between vault transactions.

### Public API — discovery, transactions, performance

For anything beyond bare ERC‑4626 state, use the Public API. It lets you:

* Look up vaults for a single client address or a batch of addresses.
* Fetch per-vault detail (asset, status, shares, fees, assigned strategy).
* Read decoded transaction history (deposits, withdrawals, rebalances).
* Pull performance time-series (APY/APR, TVL, hourly share-price snapshots).

For the full list of endpoints, request / response schemas, and a live "try it" UI, see [**Reference → Public API**](/dedicated-client-vaults/reference/public-api.md) — it points to the published Swagger, which is the source of truth and stays in sync with the live service.