NEAR
NEAR Protocol is a modular, high-speed layer-1 blockchain designed to power AI-native applications with seamless cross-chain capabilities and scalable infrastructure.
Overview
NEAR Protocol is a layer-1 blockchain platform built for scalability, speed, and multichain compatibility, with a particular focus on enabling AI-native applications. It provides a modular architecture that supports dynamic sharding, allowing for low-latency finality under 600 milliseconds and thousands of concurrent transactions. NEAR’s design enables autonomous AI agents to own assets, make decisions, and transact across multiple blockchains seamlessly, positioning it as a foundational infrastructure for the emerging AI economy.
The platform abstracts blockchain complexities through its chain abstraction layer, which allows developers to build cross-chain applications without requiring users to manage wallets, bridges, or tokens explicitly. NEAR’s developer ecosystem includes comprehensive SDKs for Rust and JavaScript, smart contract tools, decentralized frontend hosting, and APIs for blockchain interaction and data indexing. Its open-source tooling and modular SDKs accelerate dapp development, while privacy-first features empower user-owned applications.
NEAR differentiates itself by combining high throughput and low latency with AI-native infrastructure, enabling encrypted model execution and verifiable compute. Its ecosystem supports fungible tokens, NFTs, DAOs, and autonomous organizations, making it suitable for a wide range of decentralized applications. With over 13 million transactions processed and five years of continuous uptime, NEAR is battle-tested and widely adopted. Developers can get started quickly using tools like create-near-app, near-cli, and wallet-selector, with extensive documentation and active community support available.
The Problem
Developers face challenges building scalable, user-friendly blockchain applications that integrate AI capabilities and operate seamlessly across multiple chains. Existing blockchains often lack the performance, modularity, and cross-chain abstractions needed for AI-native apps and autonomous agents.
The Solution
Key Features
Comprehensive Developer SDKs
Includes Rust and JavaScript SDKs, smart contract tools, CLI utilities, and decentralized frontend hosting components.
Privacy-First User-Owned Applications
Enables developers to build apps that respect user intent and privacy with no token or wallet friction.
Robust Data Indexing and APIs
Offers tools like near-lake-indexer and QueryApi for efficient blockchain data querying and integration.
Key Strengths
How Developers Use NEAR
Building AI-Powered Autonomous Agents
Developers create AI agents that act on behalf of users, making decisions and transacting across multiple blockchains seamlessly.
Cross-Chain DeFi Applications
DeFi developers leverage NEAR’s chain abstraction to build interoperable financial products without complex user onboarding.
Decentralized Social and NFT Platforms
Creators and platform developers use NEAR’s scalable infrastructure and NFT tooling to launch user-owned marketplaces and social apps.
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Network APIs
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Pricing
Free Tier | Custom Enterprise | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (Monthly) | Free | Custom pricing |
| Price (Annual) | Free | Custom pricing |
| Messaging | N/A | Dedicated support and SLAs |
| Support | Community support via Discord, Telegram, and GitHub | Enterprise-grade support and consulting |
| Analytics |
Resources
NEAR provides extensive developer resources including official documentation, protocol specifications, SDKs, CLI tools, and community channels to support building scalable AI-native and cross-chain applications.