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# Low-Level Calls

## Overview

[`call`](/docs/actions/public/call) executes `eth_call` with raw calldata and returns raw response
bytes.

Use it for protocols without an ABI, already encoded payloads, deployless code, or advanced
overrides. Prefer Contract Actions when an ABI is available.

## Recipes

These recipes assume you have [set up a Client](/docs) with [`publicActions`](/docs/actions/public).

### Execute Raw Calldata

The `name()` selector is `0x06fdde03`. Decode the returned bytes according to the contract's ABI.

:::code-group
```ts twoslash [example.ts]
import { client } from './viem.config'

const { data } = await client.call({ // [!code focus]
  data: '0x06fdde03', // [!code focus]
  to: '0xA0b86991c6218b36c1d19D4a2e9Eb0cE3606eB48', // [!code focus]
}) // [!code focus]
```

```ts twoslash [viem.config.ts] filename="viem.config.ts"
// [!include ~/snippets/docs/public.config.ts:setup]
```
:::

### Call from a Specific Address

Set `account` when contract behavior depends on `msg.sender`.

:::code-group
```ts twoslash [example.ts]
import { client } from './viem.config'

const { data } = await client.call({
  account: '0xA0Cf798816D4b9b9866b5330EEa46a18382f251e', // [!code focus]
  data: '0x06fdde03',
  to: '0xA0b86991c6218b36c1d19D4a2e9Eb0cE3606eB48',
})
```

```ts twoslash [viem.config.ts] filename="viem.config.ts"
// [!include ~/snippets/docs/public.config.ts:setup]
```
:::

## Best Practices

### Keep Encoding and Decoding Together

Wrap low-level calls in a small domain function that owns both the request encoding and response
decoding. This prevents callers from interpreting the same raw bytes differently.

### Prefer Typed Contract Actions

Use [`contract.read`](/docs/actions/public/contract/read) or
[`contract.simulate`](/docs/actions/public/contract/simulate) when an ABI exists. They provide
argument validation, decoded results, and structured contract errors.

## See More

<Cards>
  <Card icon="lucide:book-open" title="Read Contracts" description="Read contract functions with ABI-derived types." to="/docs/guides/contracts/read" />

  <Card icon="lucide:code-xml" title="ABI Functions" description="Encode call data and decode return values manually." to="/docs/utilities/abifunction" />
</Cards>