GetBlock's Shared Nodes vs Dedicated Nodes: The Infrastructure Trade-off

Shared infrastructure costs: Pay-as-you-go or subscription model with no upfront hardware investment. Ideal for prototyping, low-volume dApps, and wallets where predictable, low-cost access to mainnet data is the priority. Perfect for projects like Uniswap frontends or MetaMask snap development that don't require custom configurations.

Instant access to 50+ blockchains: Get an RPC endpoint in seconds via the GetBlock dashboard or API. This enables fast iteration and multi-chain testing without DevOps overhead. Critical for teams running analytics across Ethereum, Polygon, and BNB Chain simultaneously during a hackathon or proof-of-concept phase.

Guaranteed resources and SLA: Your team gets exclusive access to a node with 99.9%+ uptime SLA, no rate limits, and priority request queues. This is non-negotiable for high-frequency trading bots (e.g., on Arbitrum), NFT marketplaces with real-time minting, or DeFi protocols where latency directly impacts user profits.

Complete node configuration: Run custom Archive nodes, enable trace APIs, or modify gas settings to suit your protocol's exact needs. Essential for indexing services like The Graph, complex analytics platforms (Dune Analytics), or Layer 2 sequencers that require deep chain state access and cannot rely on shared infrastructure constraints.

Specific advantage: Entry-level pricing starting at $29/month for 1M requests, compared to $500+/month for a dedicated node baseline. This matters for early-stage dApps, hackathons, and prototyping where budget is constrained and predictable traffic is low.

Specific advantage: Instant API key access to 50+ blockchains (Ethereum, Solana, Polygon, etc.) with zero node setup or maintenance overhead. This matters for teams needing to test across multiple chains quickly or deploy MVPs without DevOps investment.

Specific advantage: Exclusive resource allocation guaranteeing sub-100ms response times and 99.9%+ SLA, versus shared node performance that can vary with network congestion. This matters for high-frequency trading bots, production DeFi protocols, and NFT marketplaces where latency and uptime directly impact revenue.

Specific advantage: Full RPC/WS endpoint control, ability to run archive nodes, and install custom indexing tools (e.g., The Graph, TrueBlocks). This matters for protocols requiring deep historical data, custom event parsing, or integration with specialized middleware that shared node APIs cannot support.

Specific limitation: Throughput is shared. A surge in traffic from other projects on the same node can lead to throttling (429 errors) and increased latency. This is a critical risk for applications with unpredictable or growing user bases where a bad actor or popular dApp can degrade your service.

Specific limitation: Higher fixed cost and operational overhead. You are responsible for monitoring, upgrades, and scaling. The $500K+ budget is better spent here only when traffic justifies it (>50M monthly requests) or application logic demands guaranteed, isolated resources.

Rapid Deployment & Low Cost: Instant access to 50+ blockchains with a free tier and pay-as-you-go pricing. Ideal for prototyping, light dApps, and low-volume read operations.

Managed Infrastructure: Zero operational overhead. GetBlock handles all node maintenance, updates, and uptime, freeing your team to focus on core development.

Shared Resources & Rate Limits: Performance is subject to network-wide load. Strict RPC call limits (e.g., 30-60 req/sec on paid plans) can throttle high-frequency trading bots or data indexers.

Limited Control & Customization: No access to node logs, cannot enable experimental APIs, and cannot modify Geth or Erigon flags. Not suitable for protocols requiring deep chain introspection.

Guaranteed Performance & SLA: Exclusive hardware with 99.9%+ uptime SLA. Supports unlimited requests and provides consistent sub-second latency, critical for DeFi arbitrage, NFT marketplaces, and high-TPS applications.

Full Administrative Control: Root/SSH access, customizable client settings (e.g., Geth cache size), archive data, and trace APIs. Enables bespoke indexing and advanced debugging.

Higher Cost & Commitment: Starts at ~$300/month, requiring a budget for dedicated resources. Not cost-effective for proof-of-concepts or applications with sporadic, low-volume traffic.

Setup Time & Operational Knowledge: Node provisioning takes hours, not seconds. Your team needs DevOps expertise for initial configuration, monitoring, and leveraging the full control offered.