Coinbase Cloud to lure developers with 'free' infrastructure platform called Node

Quick Take

  • Coinbase Cloud has launched Node, a developer-focused revamp of its enterprise Query & Transact (QT) platform.
  • Node will allow developers to build and monitor blockchain applications from a single platform.

Blockchain infrastructure firm Coinbase Cloud has launched Node, a revamp of its previous Query & Transact (QT) platform that offers a node service accessible free of cost to developers.

Founded in 2020, the platform has serviced enterprise customers dedicated blockchain nodes that are managed on Coinbase Cloud. The platform is currently used by blockchain companies such as CoinList, Chainalysis, and Crypto.com.

Now the platform has been rebranded to Node to let both open source and enterprise developers build and monitor their applications from a single platform, with up to 120,000 free daily blockchain queries.

With the Node application programming interface (API), web3 developers will be able to delegate the underlying cloud infrastructure to Coinbase Cloud and also run data queries needed for decentralized apps. These queries provide comprehensive data for balances, transfers, and smart contract events on multiple blockchains.

“Node will offer free and enterprise options for its customers. With the free option, developers will get 120,000 daily requests - enough to get them started and scale to thousands of users. As they look to scale their apps further, they can opt-in to a monthly fee-based enterprise plan,” Luv Kothari, group product manager for Node at Coinbase Cloud, told The Block.

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As part of the Node offering, Coinbase Cloud has added new features not present in QT. These include new "advanced APIs" which the team claims will simplify querying various blockchains. These advanced APIs abstract away the complexities of building on the blockchain so developers get aggregated and filtered data in one API call. The product also features another application programming interface to query NFT data.

The objective of Node will be to enable developers to focus on their products and customers, leaving blockchain infrastructure requirements to Coinbase Cloud, per the team.

Coinbase Cloud positions Node against similar API offerings from Alchemy and Infura, which are its closest competitors in the blockchain infrastructure space.

“Each of the different blockchain infrastructure providers take a unique approach to building developer tools," Kothari said. "Coinbase Cloud is focused on building a robust enterprise-grade self-service developer platform. We’re building products to simplify blockchain development through features like Advanced and NFT APIs."


© 2023 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

About Author

Vishal Chawla is The Block’s crypto ecosystems editor and has spent over six years covering tech protocols, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and cloud computing. Vishal likes to delve deep into blockchain intricacies to ensure readers are well-informed about the continuously evolving crypto landscape. He is also a staunch advocate for rigorous security practices in the space. Before joining The Block, Vishal held positions at IDG ComputerWorld, CIO, and Crypto Briefing. He can be reached on Twitter at @vishal4c and via email at [email protected]