What is RPC?
Remote Procedure Call (RPC) is the underlying protocol that blockchain nodes use to communicate. When you connect to an Ethereum node via RPC, you're directly interacting with the blockchain.
What is a Crypto API?
A crypto API is a managed service that wraps RPC with additional features: better documentation, analytics, dashboards, and enhanced reliability.
Comparison
| Feature | Raw RPC | Crypto API |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of Use | Requires expertise | Developer-friendly |
| Reliability | You manage it | 99.9% SLA |
| Features | Basic | Analytics, alerts, dashboards |
| Scaling | Manual | Automatic |
| Cost | Infrastructure only | Subscription-based |
✓ When to Use Crypto API
- Production applications
- Need reliability guarantees
- Want analytics and monitoring
- Quick setup needed
- Limited DevOps resources
✓ When to Use Raw RPC
- Maximum control needed
- Running your own infrastructure
- Budget constraints
- Custom node configuration
Popular Providers
💡 Recommendation: Start with a crypto API for development, then evaluate if raw RPC makes sense at scale.
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