Quicknode

December 29, 2020 — 7 min read

Developing in the Web3 and blockchain space presents unique challenges, especially with the recent Decentralized Finance (DeFi) boom. Web3 developers are eager to build decentralized applications (dApps) on Ethereum, Solana, and other blockchains, but the process can be daunting due to infrastructure and setup complexities. This is where QuickNode comes in. QuickNode simplifies your journey, providing the best tools and services to jump-start building in the Web3 space, allowing you to focus on innovation without worrying about technical hurdles.

Introducing Quicknode

Navigating the complexities of Web3 and blockchain development can be challenging, especially with the surge in Decentralized Finance (DeFi) and the need for robust infrastructure.

Quicknode is here to transform your development experience. Beyond just nodes, Quicknode offers a comprehensive suite of tools and services that streamline your journey, eliminating the need for constant monitoring and maintenance.

Our platform empowers Web3 developers to focus on creating innovative decentralized applications (dApps) without getting bogged down by technical hurdles. With Quicknode, you have everything you need to jumpstart your Web3 projects and effortlessly bring your vision to life.

The hassle of running your own Node

Here are some critical issues associated with running your own Ethereum node:

• Space: Blockchains are distributed Ledgers and a Full node will contain an entire copy of the ledger, which at the time of writing this guide is over 4TB and growing rapidly, even running a fast sync will be around 300 GB. Last time we checked, SSD storage space, bandwidth, and time all cost money.

• Time: Depending on your connection speed, the first time sync on Ethereum Mainnet can take days, that is if you’re lucky and your connection is fast and stable enough.

• Security / Maintenance: Node clients can be quite fussy and absolutely not easy to maintain (memory leaks, bugs, disk issues, etc...), requiring constant monitoring, not to mention having to provide your own security.

• Disaster Recovery: Things like node crashes and database corruptions can leave your node down for days. Recovering from a major infrastructure failure can take up to three weeks.

What Quicknode Offers

Quicknode is the ultimate web3 development platform.

Quicknode goes beyond providing a distributed global network of high-performance nodes. We offer a comprehensive suite of tools and services that support every aspect of your web3 development journey. Whether you're building decentralized applications, managing blockchain infrastructure, or scaling your projects, Quicknode ensures consistent performance, uptime, and excellent support from a community of like-minded developers.

High Speed: No need to worry about performance - Quicknode is engineered from the ground up to be the fastest Web3 provider. Not only will your apps be easier to build and run (at scale, too!), they will also be faster and more reliable (ie. more enjoyable for your users to use).

Multi-chain support: Quicknode currently supports 19 chains (including top chains like Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain [BSC], Polygon, Solana, Avalanche, Base, Optimism, Arbitrum) and 35+ networks (Mainnet, Testnet, Devnet) – and is constantly working on adding new chains, which is great if you’re building on more than one network.

QuickAlerts/WebHooks: Quicknode has support for WebHooks, and allows developers to bring Web3 smart-contract event listeners to Web2 by handling the discovery and notification of most any on-chain event in real-time. No need to run a 24/7 server for polling or WebSocket listening. Learn more about QuickAlerts here!

Testnet support: Quicknode supports nearly all major testnets (and devnets), providing developers with great flexibility for testing applications on their preferred testnet. Need testnet tokens? Use our faucet!

Multi-Client support: Quicknode supports Geth, Erigon, Reth, Nethermind for Ethereum (ETH). Requests are automatically routed to the most optimal client for best performance.

Marketplace: An entire universe of tools at your fingertips! Select from dozens of add-ons that make building super-powered dApps easier than ever. Learn more.

IPFS: Use Quicknode to upload, store, manage, and retrieve data on the IPFS network through our pinning services and dedicated gateways. Learn more.

Developer SDK: The Quicknode SDK is designed to facilitate interaction with Quicknode infrastructure. Developers can effortlessly leverage the Graph API to access a wide range of valuable data and insights, including market insights, trading data, wallet and contract transactions, cached NFT images, and much more. Learn more.

Streams: With just a few clicks, you can easily get the exact blockchain data you need, whether that's backfills or staying up to the tip. Guarantee exactly-once delivery and let us handle the rest. Learn more.

Clusters: Dedicated Clusters from Quicknode provide the highest levels of performance, reliability, and flexibility for web3 operations. They offer truly unmetered resources, ensuring seamless scaling and robust redundancy to eliminate downtime fears. With isolated environments, Dedicated Clusters protect your operations from external traffic spikes and provide predictable performance. They also offer global availability, fixed monthly costs, and compliance with web3 privacy standards, making them ideal for developers and enterprises requiring top-tier infrastructure and security. Learn more.

Getting Started with QuickNode

Let’s get started and see how easy and painless it is to spin up your own blockchain node in just a few minutes:

Step 1: Go to https://QuickNode.com/, create account and verify your email.

Step 2: Select Your Plan

Step 3: Create your endpoint

Done! Your node is ready for use:

Using QuickNode in your dApp

The following example uses JavaScript and Node:

1. Install the web3 library:

$ npm install web3

2. Create a test script that obtains the latest block number from the Ethereum blockchain, save it as index.js and run:

var Web3 = require('web3');
var provider = 'ADD_YOUR_ETHEREUM_NODE_URL';
var web3Provider = new Web3.providers.HttpProvider(provider);
var web3 = new Web3(web3Provider);
web3.eth.getBlockNumber().then((result) => {
console.log("Latest Ethereum Block is ",result);
});
$ node index.js

3. Your output should look like this:

Latest Ethereum Block is 11223600

Success! You’ve deployed and connected to your Ethereum node! And it only took a few minutes.

For more languages and frameworks: select QuickStarts tab under your node’s URL in the dashboard for more guides on how to use QuickNode with your dApp.

Find more guides, tutorials, insights and Web3 developer best-practices on the QuickNode Guides page!

Tools & Features

Marketplace

QuickNode Marketplace is the “App Store” for Web3 & Blockchain tools, so you can do things like look up an Ethereum wallet balance with the RPC API, and then enrich the data with real-time token prices using the CoinGecko add-on, all with the same API endpoint. Check it out and add your app to the Marketplace today. Learn more.

Node Metrics

The Metrics tab displays the latest network block, the number of method calls used/remaining, and the client your node is using along with graphical representation of all method calls made using your node.

Security

The security tab allows to toggle token based authentication, JWT settings, set the referrer whitelist and the domain Mask.

QuickAlerts (WebHooks)

This allows you to set up a WebHook for your node, which provides great flexibility with things like event listeners and more. Webhooks are widely used on Web2.

To learn more about webhooks and QuickNode, check out the QuickAlerts page!

Streams

Streams transforms data management, allowing for quicker deployment, and a $ saver!

Filtered Data - Only pay for what you need.

Real-Time & Historical Data - Get the right data at the right time for DeFi, NFT projects, or enterprise solutions.

Easy Integration - Integrate with popular destinations like S3, PostgreSQL, Snowflake, and webhooks.

Data Reliability - Ensure complete and accurate data with fork resolution, trailing options, and guaranteed delivery.

Customer Service

Your paid (Discover+ and higher) QuickNode subscription includes access to our team of Web3, platform, and billing experts. Get help from the community in our Discord, open a ticket for email support, or get VIP live chat via Slack and Telegram. We’ll make sure you are happy!