Key Differences
| Aspect | Centralized | Decentralized |
|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure | Company servers | P2P network |
| Uptime | 99.9% SLA | Variable |
| Latency | Low | Higher |
| Trust Model | Trusted third party | Cryptographic |
| Censorship | Can be censored | Resistant |
| Cost | Subscription | Token economics |
✓ Decentralized APIs
- No single point of failure
- Censorship resistant
- Transparent pricing
- Examples: Pocket Network, Graph Protocol
✓ Centralized APIs
- Higher reliability
- Better performance
- More features
- Examples: Alchemy, Infura, QuickNode
When to Use Each
- Centralized - Production apps, enterprise, need SLA guarantees
- Decentralized - Privacy-focused, anti-censorship, DeFi protocols
💡 Best Practice: Many apps use both. Centralized for main infrastructure, decentralized as backup.
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