If you’ve been using Infura’s Web3 tools to develop on Ethereum, you’re probably wondering if there are any “Infura for BSC” alternatives with similar functionalities to develop on Binance Smart Chain (BSC). While Ethereum is still the dominant chain for Web3, DeFi, and dApps projects, blockchains like BSC are growing in popularity. As such, the industry is seeing more demand for “Infura for BSC” alternatives, to help spur projects on such alternative chains. Moreover, to explore BSC’s features, one must consider using “Infura BSC” alternatives versus working with one that only supports Ethereum. Therefore, we’ll take a closer look in this article at the premier “Infura for BSC” alternative – Moralis.
If you’re new to blockchain development, you may already have heard of Infura as a popular blockchain node provider. Blockchain node providers make development and working with the blockchain easier, relieving you of the inconvenient initial steps of trying to set up your own node from scratch. Those experienced in running or attempting to connect to Ethereum nodes know that this is a bothersome, drawn-out process with many difficulties, especially with syncing. If you don’t want backend infrastructure requirements to weigh you down, the best thing is to use tools such as Infura or “Infura for BSC” alternatives like Moralis. Further down in this article, we will show you a fair comparison of how each service works so you can decide what’s right for you.
Why would developers want to work on BSC instead of Ethereum? Blockchain developers increasingly prefer BSC because of its speed, low transaction fees, and growing ecosystem. BSC has also built a solid reputation and community trust over a relatively short period. Hence, it’s important to have node and API support for BSC developers to cater to the growing demand for the “Infura for BSC” service.
Watch the Video on Infura BSC Alternatives
If you’d like to watch an informative video explaining why Moralis is the best “Infura for BSC” alternative, then make sure to watch the following video from Moralis’ YouTube channel:
Why You Need “Infura for BSC” Alternatives
The blockchain ecosystem is diversifying rapidly, and developers want to integrate interoperability into everything they do. As such, the next wave of Web3 builds is shifting to cross-chain. Hence, with this in mind, an “Infura for BSC” alternative must be capable of interacting seamlessly with other blockchains. Therefore, to avoid future integration issues, cross-chain compatibility needs to be part of any blockchain development plan from the start.
What is Infura?
As you search for an “Infura for BSC” or an “Infura BSC alternative”, it’s helpful to review what Infura is and what it offers blockchain developers.
Infura is the most popular way for dApps to access Ethereum’s blockchain without the need to run a full node. It provides backend infrastructure with scalability features. About 63% of dApps connect to Ethereum through Infura, ahead of self-hosted blockchain nodes and other third-party providers. Among the well-known dApps or Web3 projects using Infura are:
- MetaMask
- Truffle
- CryptoKitties
- uPort
- Aragon
- Gnosis
- OpenZeppelin
Infura – An IaaS Provider
Some developers prefer to offload the burden of running a full node to an IaaS (also known as “Infrastructure as a Service”) provider such as Infura. While such services have pros and cons, many developers understand the clear benefits as they can create, test and deploy their dApps in record time. They don’t need to deal with the headache of locally running and managing their own full node. How do services such as Infura absorb this cumbersome step in blockchain development? Simply put, Infura has a collection of full Ethereum nodes and lets developers connect to these full nodes.
Furthermore, Infura has a full stack of “microservices”. These include a complete developer dashboard, an Ethereum interface to support the mainnet and various testnets via client-compatible JSON-RPC, over WSS and HTTPS, and Ethereum data access for higher-tier subscriptions. It also addresses the blockchain data storage problem by using IPFS-enabled distributed storage.
In summary, it addresses the following issues when building on the blockchain:
- Speed
- Connecting and managing a node
- Node syncing
- Data storage
Services such as Infura and others like it are important in circumventing the typical blockchain development difficulties. These include spinning up a node, connecting to the blockchain, and syncing.
infura and Ethereum
Infura channels about 6.5 billion JSON-RPC requests in a day – a testament to its importance in the Ethereum ecosystem. However, its exclusivity to Ethereum, certainly a strength and a weakness. It limits its use to one blockchain platform, posing issues for developers who work on cross-chain projects.
Make no mistake, Infura is a pioneer and a great platform. It is still the most well-known Ethereum blockchain node provider to date. However, if you want to expand your horizons, Infura alternatives such as an “Infura for BSC” option would be extremely valuable in accelerating and creating cross-chain capabilities for your Web3, DeFi and dApp builds.
Why Build on BSC?
As mentioned earlier, Binance Smart Chain (BSC) is gaining a strong following among developers. BSC brings many advantages, which further strengthen the use case for “Infura for BSC” alternatives. Among these advantages are:
1. Speed
Developers and users must deal with validation times before transactions are completed. This causes delays that become an issue for Ethereum because of its wide following and the sheer number of projects being built on it. BSC was built to reduce confirmation time, and thus transaction time. It was also built to have higher efficiency and lower latency to compete with other blockchains.
BSC intuitively supports smart contracts to make it easier for developers to create decentralized applications or dApps. Furthermore, BSC dApps are capable of handling large numbers of transactions. In addition, the platform also provides improved scalability even in high-traffic scenarios. With an Infura alternative, it becomes easier to create BSC dApps.
Built parallel to the original “Binance Chain”, BSC is cross-compatible. Therefore, it can easily connect to Binance Chain to enable fast confirmation. What’s more, this dual-chain architecture could prove attractive to developers, depending on the features they want to include in their app.
2. Transaction Fees
Cheaper fees resonate well with users and developers alike. With its native token and ecosystem, BSC is less congested on any given day compared to Ethereum. Moreover, BSC also comes with markedly cheaper blockchain fees than Ethereum. Gas fees on Ethereum can prove to be a constraint or issue when trying to mint new tokens or perform other simple transactions, such as when one needs to receive or send ERC-20 tokens. In the case of NFTs and NFT platforms, which is a popular use case on Ethereum that brings constant gas fee problems, alternative blockchains may be the solution. For such blockchains, an Infura BSC alternative may speed up platform development.
Is it possible to build NFTs and NFT platforms with an Infura BSC alternative and reduce transaction fees? Absolutely!
To understand NFTs, and delve into the issues around Ethereum gas fees regarding minting and selling, you might want to start with this article on “What are NFTs?” followed by a basic course on NFT programming. Furthermore, you can learn about the distinct advantages of using Moralis’ NFT API in your projects. Moralis goes beyond node support to give you a full-scale Web3 toolkit that helps you launch projects in a matter of minutes instead of weeks! Moreover, you can choose which blockchain to build on so you can circumvent high transaction fees.
3. Ecosystem
Globally, BSC is considered one of the fastest-growing ecosystems because of its desirable features, such as cheaper and faster transactions. In January 2021, BSC boasted up to 300,000 transactions per day. This number grew exponentially in August 2021, reaching a maximum of 12 million transactions per day. Average daily transactions from April to August in 2021 were computed to be 7 million per day. The easy migration from Ethereum to BSC has further sped up this growth. Furthermore, it has certainly been encouraging for developers and users to observe this kind of success taking place.
4. TVL
TVL or “Total Value Locked” on BSC reached $28.9 billion in August 2021, a growth rate of 300% compared to just under USD 10 billion earlier in the year. The high TVL means increased trust and confidence for BSC regarding its usage with smart contracts, governed DeFi platforms, and BSC’s capacity to support DeFi ecosystems at scale.
An “Infura for BSC” Alternative to Support Growth
All of these advantages point to only one thing: that developers consider BSC as a sound alternative to Ethereum. Such a growing ecosystem needs an Infura BSC alternative that can help developers speed up their builds and avoid delays. In effect, Infura for BSC alternatives can help developers to capably and easily launch BSC projects in the quickest possible time.
The Future is Cross-Chain
It pays to look up Infura for BSC alternatives as well as platforms that can support more than one blockchain. Moreover, it all boils down to “What is Web3?” It’s all about an “internet of blockchains”, wherein connectivity, cross-compatibility, and agility are the keys to take your builds to the next level.
With all the options available today, there’s little reason to limit yourself to one blockchain.
Examples of “Infura for BSC” Alternatives
- Moralis
Moralis is the cross-chain equivalent of an “Infura for BSC” option. As an Infura BSC alternative, it provides node support infrastructure. However, unlike other providers, Moralis offers a much more comprehensive Web3 infrastructure than what is expected from typical node providers or IaaS platforms that have followed Infura into this niche.
Moralis was designed to be “the ultimate Web3 development platform”. It is a comprehensive Web3 development suite with features that’ll take you from an idea to an infinitely scalable dApp. Furthermore, Moralis provides all the support to make your build easier and relieve you of the baggage of running your blockchain node on major chains such as Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain (BSC), Polygon, Arbitrum, etc.
Just as Infura, Moralis comes with data storage via IPFS support and all the other features that make Infura an excellent platform for Ethereum developers. However, with Moralis, cross-chain compatibility was part of the plan from the beginning and was a built-in feature from the inception of Moralis. This should give you an idea of the possibilities available when using Moralis and its vision for the future, to expand its services to include the most promising blockchains, not just Ethereum or any of the others mentioned earlier. It also gives you a picture of the level of scalability it offers your dApp, which is unmatched among other Web3 backend infrastructure providers. As such, Moralis was built to be a next-generation blockchain node provider with many more exciting features to come.
Use Cases
Moralis continually adds to its Web3 stack, making it a lot easier to create your own NFT and build decentralized apps, NFT marketplaces, multi-chain wallets, DeFi dashboards, and many more types of Web3 projects. Moralis’ ultra-fast and free services ensure that costs are kept at a minimal level as the quality of your dApp increases exponentially because it allows you to focus on your frontend.
Ultimately, Moralis users enjoy the best of both worlds: a, well-designed frontend and a fully supported, robust, cross-chain compatible, and infinitely scalable backend – integrated with just a single line of code.
Moralis Speedy Nodes
Moralis Speedy Nodes is an important feature of Moralis’ platform. It came with the “Enlightenment Update”, a major milestone for the platform as it enabled anyone to run blockchain nodes for any of the top networks with exceptional speed and reliability. They give you access to Ethereum, BSC, Polygon, and Arbitrum endpoints and are your best bet when looking for an Infura BSC alternative.
You can be assured of privacy and security when using Moralis. It doesn’t log user requests or IP addresses. It’s important to review your node provider’s privacy policy to make sure there are no surprises.
Features of Moralis
- Effortless user authentication.
- Decentralized data storage with IPFS support.
- Cloud functions – custom JavaScript functions executed in the cloud.
- Real-time database – allows storage of JSON data and real-time syncing between users.
- Real-time events – real-time webhook or WebSocket alerts.
- Cross-chain compatibility – easy and smooth syncing of users, data, and events over multiple chains.
- And more!
- Other Examples of “Infura for BSC” Platforms
Two other well-known Infura for BSC alternatives are Ankr and QuickNode. Let’s examine both briefly:
Ankr
Ankr offers blockchain node support with added interoperability features. It has free and paid options and boasts working with blockchains such as BSC, Ethereum, OKChain, and Polkadot. Ankr also competes in the cloud computing space and is the first to run a combined blockchain tech and hardware infrastructure.
One of the unique things about Ankr is that it has its native token, which was released as an ICO in 2018 and is currently used as a payment method within its ecosystem. According to Ankr’s website, the token has future utility in its decentralized staking protocol, “Stakr”. If you’re into token-incentivized ecosystems, then you should find Ankr interesting. If you prefer systems without a native token or something that’s even more simplified, you can explore other providers.
QuickNode
QuickNode currently supports nine different blockchains, including Ethereum and BSC. It is used by several popular blockchain platforms as an IaaS or node provider. However, one disadvantage of this platform is that it does not have an entirely free option, with its cheapest tier at $9 per month. Nonetheless, QuickNode describes itself as a fast alternative, enjoying the trust of prominent fintech and blockchain companies. It is certainly another Infura BSC alternative worth exploring.
The Best “Infura for BSC” Alternatives – Summary
While also providing support for Ethereum, Moralis provides comprehensive multi-chain or cross-chain support to suit any type of blockchain design or architecture.
In addition to the features mentioned earlier, Moralis has the following advantages, giving it an edge over other blockchain node providers in offering:
- A free tier
- Comprehensive IaaS support for any blockchain builds, not just node support
- Infinitely scalable infrastructure for dApps, Web3 apps and blockchain projects
- Cross-chain compatible support for Ethereum, BSC, Polygon, Avalanche, etc
- A proven alternative, with thousands of projects relying on its robust infrastructure
- Future-proof features that ensure it remains relevant to the next-generation of Web3 projects
Moralis represents a paradigm shift in blockchain development tailored for Web3. With time, and as the Web3 ecosystem matures, developers increasingly look for holistic infrastructure solutions rather than mere node providers. Specifically, developers want more in terms of platform choice. It makes sense that one considers an “Infura for BSC” alternative for all the other needs that go beyond Ethereum.
Sign up with Moralis today! It’s fast and completely free, and see for yourself how it completely revolutionizes Web3 development at “enterprise-level” beyond any other platform existing today!
