solana-proxy/docs/solana-rpc-signup-guide.md

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.