Welcome to BlockPI
BlockPI Network Alpha-net officially launched on October 25th, 2022. Compared to Testnet, it is a more stable version and ready for production environments. You will be able to enjoy the high-quality service on dozens of chains (Supported Networks and Advanced Features). For more information, please refer to BlockPI Medium article.
https://medium.com/@blockpi/blockpi-alpha-net-your-reliable-web3-rpc-service-provider-9574201ec90b
BlockPI Network aims to provide high-quality, robust, and efficient RPC service. To avoid the single-point failure and limitation of scalability, the network is designed to be a distributed structure with expandable working nodes. This page introduces the detailed roles and the service mechanisms of the BlockPI Network.
BlockPI Structure
BlockPI Hub
BlockPI Hub is a server managing the user system, node rating and authenticator system, and accounting system. The user's registration information and account information are maintained here. It also tests the nodes in the network all the time and gives them scores which is a source of BlockPI Load Balancer. The income and expenses of the entire network are calculated here, as well as the rewards issued to characters in the system. In later versions, we will gradually decentralize the functions of BlockPI Hub, and deploy them to smart contracts, leaving only a small part of the core service.
HyperNode
HyperNode is the end node that processes RPC requests and sends responses to users through Gateway. HyperNode is usually run with the full node of the target blockchain (the RPC request targets). During the testnet phase #1, third-party operators were able to join and run HyperNodes.
Gateway
Gateways collect and sort users' requests, and route them to an appropriate HyperNode by the BlockPI Load Balancer. Gateway registration is expected to be open to third parties operators after HyperNode.
Validator (coming soon)
Validators are individual blockchain nodes that monitor each role in the network, ensuring the healthy operation of the network. Using a specific frequency and a randomized algorithm, a Validator fetches data from the HyperNode and Gateway, and writes it to a block. Through the consensus protocol, the data is verified and recorded by other Validators. In this way, Validators form a blockchain network and supervise the other roles within the network.
Fisherman (coming soon)
Fisherman is another role responsible for the network security and can be considered as a special kind of user. It verifies that HyperNodes and Gateways are functioning properly in the same way as normal users sending requests.
Service Lifecycle
To use the BlockPI Network service, a user must register on BlockPI Dashboard and create an API key. At the same time, the RPC URL is generated. Different types of RU packages are also available to be purchased by users.
Requests can be sent by this URL and routed to a proper Gateway by DNS.
The Gateway checks the user authority and applies a ticket for this user. After that, it sends the request to a HyperNode through BlockPI Load Balancer.
HyperNode processes the request and gets a response from the target blockchain RPC node client. The response is sent back to the Gateway and therefore delivered to the user.
When the request is fully processed and the response is delivered to the user, the HyperNode and Gateway save the data in a snapshot for the Validators to verify.
Guides for users: Jump right in
For a higher quality RPC service, follow these instructions to register and generate your first BlockPI API key.
BlockPI Public RPC will be soon available. Stay tuned.
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