# Solana Free RPC Provider Signup Guide

## Quick Comparison Table

| Provider | Signup Required | Credit Card | Email Verification | Time to Start |
|----------|----------------|-------------|-------------------|---------------|
| **PublicNode** | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ No | Instant |
| **Solana Public** | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ No | Instant |
| **Helius** | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | < 10 seconds |
| **Alchemy** | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | ~1 minute |
| **QuickNode** | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | ~2-3 minutes |

## Detailed Signup Requirements

### 1. **PublicNode** 🚀
- **Signup Required**: NO
- **Process**: None - just use the endpoints
- **HTTP Endpoint**: `https://solana-rpc.publicnode.com`
- **WebSocket Endpoint**: `wss://solana-rpc.publicnode.com`
- **Key Features**:
  - Completely anonymous
  - No API keys needed
  - No tracking or data collection
  - "Fastest, free-est, and privacy first"

### 2. **Solana Public RPC** ⚠️
- **Signup Required**: NO
- **Process**: None - direct access
- **HTTP Endpoint**: `https://api.mainnet-beta.solana.com`
- **WebSocket Endpoint**: `wss://api.mainnet-beta.solana.com`
- **Warning**: Not for production use, heavily rate-limited

### 3. **Helius** ⭐
- **Signup Required**: YES (but very quick)
- **Process**:
  1. Go to dashboard.helius.dev
  2. Click "Start for Free"
  3. Enter email and password
  4. Verify email
  5. API key auto-generated
- **What You Get**:
  - 1M credits/month free
  - 10 requests/second
  - Access to enhanced APIs
  - Dashboard with usage metrics

### 4. **Alchemy** ✅
- **Signup Required**: YES
- **Process**:
  1. Create account with email/password
  2. Verify email
  3. Access dashboard
  4. Create Solana app
  5. Get endpoint URLs
- **What You Get**:
  - 300M Compute Units/month (~12M transactions)
  - Professional dashboard
  - Additional features (Smart Wallets, Webhooks)
  - 99.9% uptime SLA

### 5. **QuickNode** 📊
- **Signup Required**: YES (most involved)
- **Process**:
  1. Sign up at quicknode.com
  2. Verify email ("Check your email to verify")
  3. Click "Create an endpoint"
  4. Select Solana blockchain
  5. Choose network (mainnet)
  6. Optional: Add marketplace add-ons
  7. Select Free plan
  8. Get HTTP and WSS URLs
- **What You Get**:
  - 10M credits/month
  - Professional infrastructure
  - Marketplace add-ons available
  - Detailed analytics

## Recommendations by Use Case

### For Immediate Testing/Prototyping
1. **PublicNode** - No signup, start immediately
2. **Solana Public** - No signup but unreliable

### For Development Projects
1. **Helius** - Quick signup, good free tier
2. **Alchemy** - Best free tier allocation
3. **QuickNode** - Most features but complex setup

### For Production (Paid Tiers Recommended)
- All providers offer paid upgrades
- Avoid Solana Public RPC entirely
- Consider multiple providers for redundancy

## Security Notes

- **Helius**: Keep API key secure, don't commit to GitHub
- **Alchemy**: API key in URL, protect in environment variables
- **QuickNode**: Token in URL path, requires careful handling
- **PublicNode**: No auth = no security concerns for credentials

## Getting Started Tips

1. **Fastest Start**: Use PublicNode - no signup needed
2. **Best Free Tier**: Alchemy (300M CUs) but with WebSocket limitations
3. **Most Balanced**: Helius - quick signup, decent limits
4. **Most Professional**: QuickNode - complex but feature-rich

Remember: Free tiers are great for development but consider paid plans for production applications to ensure reliability and support.