Infura API
Infura API
Infura is the veteran Ethereum node service provider (ConsenSys subsidiary) — JSON-RPC access, IPFS gateway, Filecoin, Polygon, and more.
Web3 node service pioneer (since 2016)
Less rich Enhanced APIs than Alchemy
Sign up at infura.io and create a project for endpoint. const provider = new ethers.JsonRpcProvider("https://mainnet.infura.io/v3/YOUR_PROJECT_ID")
Uptime · 30-day window
About this API
Infura was launched in 2016 by ConsenSys (the Web3 infrastructure company founded by Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin) — the first and largest Ethereum node service. MetaMask (the most popular Web3 wallet, also a ConsenSys subsidiary) defaults to Infura as RPC provider — meaning tens of millions of MetaMask users' transactions route through Infura. This "single point of dependency" was criticized industry-wide in recent years, spawning Alchemy, QuickNode, and other competitors. Infura coverage: Ethereum + Polygon + Arbitrum + Optimism + Starknet multi-chain JSON-RPC, IPFS gateway (one of the largest public IPFS nodes), Filecoin. Free tier tighter than Alchemy (100k req/day); commercial from $50/month.
What you can build
- 1DApp backend Ethereum node
- 2IPFS content storage and retrieval
- 3Default RPC provider for MetaMask
- 4Smart contract deployment and calls
- 5Multi-chain support
Strengths & limitations
Strengths
- Web3 node service pioneer (since 2016)
- Default RPC for MetaMask (massive user base)
- Backed by ConsenSys parent (well-resourced)
- IPFS gateway is a key open-source IPFS node
Limitations
- Less rich Enhanced APIs than Alchemy
- Tighter free tier than Alchemy
Example request
curl https://www.infura.io/<endpoint> \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $API_KEY"
# Some providers use X-Api-Key instead — verify in the docs.Getting started
Sign up at infura.io and create a project for endpoint. const provider = new ethers.JsonRpcProvider("https://mainnet.infura.io/v3/YOUR_PROJECT_ID")
FAQ
Infura vs. Alchemy?+
Pure RPC node + simple: Infura. Need Enhanced APIs (NFT/Token): Alchemy.
Is IPFS gateway free?+
Yes. Infura's public IPFS gateway (ipfs.io alternative) is free; commercial volume needs self-hosted or paid Pinata.
Technical details
- Auth type
- api_key
- Pricing
- freemium
- Rate limit
- Core 免费 100k req/天；Developer $50/月 200万/天
- Protocols
- REST, WebSocket, JSON-RPC
- SDKs
- javascript, typescript, python, go
- Response time
- 399 ms
- Last health check
- 5/12/2026, 7:37:41 AM