Web3 & DApp Development Fundamentals · Lesson

Indexed Parameters

Filterable topics.

Indexed Parameters is a free Web3 & DApp Development Fundamentals lesson on CoddyKit — lesson 2 of 4. You can read the complete lesson below for free — then practise it hands-on in the browser with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. It is part of the Web3 & DApp Development Fundamentals learning path, one of 4 lessons in the course, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app.

Filtering Logs

Once a contract emits many events, off-chain apps need a way to filter them efficiently, for example to find every Transfer to a specific address.

Solidity supports this with indexed event parameters, which become searchable topics.

The indexed Keyword

Mark a parameter indexed to store it as a log topic rather than in the data section. Topics can be filtered quickly by Ethereum nodes.

<code>event Transfer(
    address indexed from,
    address indexed to,
    uint256 amount
);</code>

Topics vs Data

Each log has up to 4 topics and an arbitrary data blob:

Topic 0 is the event signature hash (automatic for non-anonymous events)
Each indexed parameter takes one more topic slot
Non-indexed parameters go into the data section

The Three-Indexed Limit

A non-anonymous event can have at most three indexed parameters, because topic 0 is reserved for the signature hash.

Adding a fourth indexed parameter is a compile error.

<code>// OK: 3 indexed params
event Trade(
    address indexed maker,
    address indexed taker,
    uint256 indexed orderId,
    uint256 price // not indexed
);</code>

Choosing What to Index

Index the fields you will search by: addresses, ids, categories. Keep large or descriptive values (amounts, strings) non-indexed so they stay readable in the data section.

<code>event ItemSold(
    uint256 indexed itemId,
    address indexed buyer,
    uint256 price
);</code>

Indexing Strings and Bytes

When you index a dynamic type like string or bytes, the topic stores the keccak256 hash of the value, not the value itself.

You can still filter by hashing the search term, but you cannot recover the original text from the topic.

<code>event Tagged(string indexed label, uint256 value);
// topic = keccak256(label), original text not in log</code>

Filtering on the Client

Client libraries use indexed topics to build filters. For example, fetching all transfers received by one address becomes a fast topic match.

<code>// ethers.js (off-chain)
// const filter = token.filters.Transfer(null, myAddress);
// const logs = await token.queryFilter(filter);</code>

The Standard Transfer Event

ERC-20 and ERC-721 define a Transfer event with indexed addresses. This is why wallets can show your incoming and outgoing transfers so quickly.

<code>// ERC-20
event Transfer(address indexed from, address indexed to, uint256 value);
// ERC-721
event Transfer(address indexed from, address indexed to, uint256 indexed tokenId);</code>

Gas Considerations

Indexed parameters cost slightly more gas than non-indexed ones because they occupy dedicated topic slots. Index only what you genuinely need to filter on.

Anonymous Events

An anonymous event omits the signature hash from topic 0, freeing a fourth indexed slot. They are rare and harder to decode, so use them only for advanced low-level cases.

<code>event LowLevel(uint256 indexed a, uint256 indexed b,
               uint256 indexed c, uint256 indexed d) anonymous;</code>

Mixing Indexed and Data

A practical event indexes the searchable keys and leaves descriptive payload in data, balancing filterability and readability.

<code>event Deposit(
    address indexed account, // searchable
    uint256 amount,          // readable in data
    uint256 timestamp
);</code>

Quick Check

Test your understanding of indexed parameters.

Recap

You learned about indexed event parameters:

indexed turns a parameter into a filterable topic
Max 3 indexed params (topic 0 = signature hash)
Indexed dynamic types store a keccak256 hash, not the value
Index searchable keys; keep descriptive payload in the data section

Good indexing makes off-chain queries fast and cheap.

Frequently asked questions

Is the “Indexed Parameters” lesson free?

Yes — the full text of “Indexed Parameters” is free to read here on the web, and the Web3 & DApp Development Fundamentals course includes 4 lessons in total. To practise it interactively (a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor) and unlock the rest of the Web3 & DApp Development Fundamentals course, upgrade to CoddyKit PRO.

What will I learn in “Indexed Parameters”?

Filterable topics. You practise Web3 & DApp Development Fundamentals with hands-on code you run directly in the browser, and a 24/7 AI tutor answers your questions as you work through the lesson.

Do I need any experience to start Web3 & DApp Development Fundamentals?

No prior experience is required. Web3 & DApp Development Fundamentals on CoddyKit is structured for beginners through advanced learners; this is — lesson 2 of 4, so you can start here or from the beginning and move at your own pace.

How long does the “Indexed Parameters” lesson take?

Most CoddyKit lessons take about 5–10 minutes. Each one is bite-sized and interactive, so you make steady progress and pick up exactly where you left off across the web and the app.

Can I write and run code in this Web3 & DApp Development Fundamentals lesson?

Yes. Every Web3 & DApp Development Fundamentals lesson includes a built-in code editor, so you write and run real code right in your browser and get instant AI feedback — no local setup required.

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