Bridging the gap: Accelerating the Web2 to Web3 transition with QuickNode’s multi-product blockchain solutions
QuickNode simplifies the programming of Web3 apps by providing a comprehensive suite of solutions for developers to deploy and manage applications across multiple networks
Hakan Kiziltan/Shutterstock modified by Blockworks
The internet as we know it is rapidly evolving. The transition from Web2 to Web3 has introduced the world to new-age applications across different verticals such as finance, gaming, social media, digital identity, creative art, and more. Underpinned by the principles of decentralization, transparency, and user-focused revenue distribution, Web3 is a significant upgrade to the current version of the Internet.
However, the complexities associated with building Web3-native apps or integrating Web3 features into Web2 infrastructure continue to impede the adoption of the emerging technology. Developers and organizations require user-friendly tools and platforms to facilitate a seamless transition from Web2 to the immense possibilities in Web3.
QuickNode simplifies the programming of Web3 apps by providing a comprehensive suite of solutions for developers to deploy and manage applications across multiple networks effortlessly. QuickNode’s platform connects customers and software clients to elastic blockchain APIs, powerful data query solutions, and real-time alerts. Whether you’re building or integrating with a wallet, DeFi protocol, NFT app, or anything Web3, QuickNode has the tech suite to ensure your goals are reached.
This article dives deeper into the ongoing shift from Web2 to Web3. We dissect the role of user-friendly tools in facilitating the transition and how QuickNode bridges the gap between Web2 and Web3 by delivering cutting-edge solutions used by some of the industry’s most successful companies.
The shift from Web2 to Web3
The Internet is undergoing a remarkable shift for the first time in several decades. Web2, the second era of the world wide web, introduced innovative channels for users to create and distribute content on a global network. Instead of the static web pages that marked the earliest generation of the internet, Web2 brought greater interactivity. Applications such as blogs, social media platforms, ecommerce stores, video streaming services, and other content-focused products opened up new ways for users to connect with others worldwide.
Yet, gigantic corporations and institutions quickly monopolized these innovations. Companies store voluminous user data on centralized servers and sell such information to advertisers for revenue. Further, a few top stakeholders make decisions that impact billions of users who receive no compensation for their invaluable contribution to the growth of Web2 apps.
Web3 addresses some of the challenges posed by the broad adoption of its predecessor. Instead of centralized servers, Web3 applications live on the blockchain, a network of computers around the globe. It replaces email addresses and passwords with cryptographic addresses and signatures, allowing for a uniform identity across multiple apps. The concept of tokenization also comes into play, supporting creative ways to distribute ownership and reward users.
The potential of Web3 is immense when compared with the current value of its incumbent. However, its high adoption rate is the most substantial pointer to its viability as the future of Internet technology. Still in its relative infancy, there are over 400 million cryptocurrency users globally and nearly 20 million active on-chain addresses.
The Web3 space is also living up to its promise of rewarding users for their contributions to growing the ecosystem. For instance, the past two years have seen NFT marketplaces distribute nearly $2 billion in royalties to artists and creators. The figure is more than the $1 billion allocated by social media giant Meta, which has significantly more users.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes of the Web3 surge are developers and businesses building cutting-edge user applications. An estimated 25,000 active Web3 developers, with several big names, such as Nike, Starbucks, Mastercard, and Roblox, are already plugging into the emerging industry.
However, a lot of work still needs to be done for Web3 to reach the promised land. Developers and organizations transitioning from Web2 to Web3 currently face several roadblocks that must be overcome to accelerate the technology’s adoption.
For instance, the Web3 ecosystem is largely fragmented into a complex multi-chain world where users and dApps reside on networks with little interoperability. Building on different chains is an uphill task and comes at high financial costs for companies looking to get involved with Web3.
Additionally, the complexity of blockchain technology and the lack of user-friendly development tools make the transition from Web2 to Web3 difficult. Especially for software developers accustomed to using sophisticated tooling and libraries, access to user-friendly tools and platforms is invaluable to making a success out of their Web3 journey.
The role of user-friendly tools and platforms in Web3 transition
Developers and businesses embracing Web3 require user-friendly tools and platforms to navigate the industry confidently. Using the best tools drastically improves the time-to-market (TTM) for development teams and conserves financial resources. Further, such solutions empower companies to offer users access to Web3-native products and services with high-performance capabilities.
In a real-world example, enterprises moving into Web3 quickly realize the need for a blockchain node infrastructure to underpin their products and services. Setting up and managing a full node for different networks is typically resource-intensive and may impact scalability in the long term. Also, the mission-critical nature of decentralized applications means any downtime to backend infrastructure may lead to irreparable losses.
A superior approach to the Web3 transition process is to leverage a reliable blockchain infrastructure provider like QuickNode. Doing so allows companies to focus on their core business strengths without the complexities of developing and maintaining an in-house blockchain architecture.
Metaco, an institutional-grade digital asset service provider, taps QuickNode blockchain nodes to help its tier-1 banking partners transition to Web3. Metaco’s clients include Citigroup, BBVA, Société Générale, and BNP Paribas, all of whom rely on the platform to store and trade cryptocurrencies and tokenized blockchain assets. To eliminate errors and downtime risks, QuickNode provides its dependable blockchain infrastructure to Metaco, allowing its institutional clients to interact with digital assets securely.
Hey Wallet is another application that relies on QuickNode to facilitate the transition between Web2 and Web3. The Solana-based wallet allows users to send and receive crypto using social media handles on Twitter, Telegram, and Discord. Leveraging QuickNode’s Core API has enabled Hey Wallet to deal with periods of hypergrowth without worrying about performance issues.
QuickNode: Accelerating the Web3 transition
Founded in 2017, QuickNode enables the development of a trustless and decentralized internet by providing invaluable tech tools to those who are building the Web3 future. The company is led by a founding team with over four decades of experience managing data centers and distributed systems such as blockchains.
QuickNode commits to helping Web3 ecosystems scale through its multi-product blockchain solutions, which include a Core API for interacting with over 22 networks. The QuickNode product suite further includes Token, NFT, and Graph APIs for users to access and query token data and history. Developers can also tap into real-time blockchain monitoring to receive alerts for critical on-chain events related to specific dApps on their watchlists.
Developers and businesses transitioning into Web3 can save valuable development cycles and accelerate their Time-to-Market (TTM) by choosing QuickNode as an infrastructure provider. For example, QuickNode’s time-tested multi-node network helps users eliminate the resource-intensive practice of setting and maintaining dedicated blockchain nodes, which are often severely limited by scale and geographical reasons. Project teams can thus maximize resources and focus on launching Web3 apps within record-breaking timelines.
QuickNode’s suite of products
QuickNode combines everything developers need to power a Web3 app on a single platform. This section breaks down each product in the QuickNode suite and how its unique features support the seamless development of Web3 apps.
- Core API: QuickNode provides the fastest and most reliable blockchain APIs in a continuously growing multi-chain environment. Developers can easily connect dApps to popular networks, including Ethereum, Polygon, BNB Smart Chain, Solana, and 18 additional blockchains. QuickNode’s core API is distributed across multiple geographical regions and blockchain clients, allowing for speedy response times and unparalleled latency.
- Token API: The QuickNode Token API saves Web3 developers considerable engineering work by providing one-stop access to comprehensive data on thousands of ERC-20 tokens. Through a unified interface, clients can filter through token holders, smart contract addresses, and transactions. Plugging into the QuickNode API enables Web3 apps to seamlessly verify and gather user ERC-20 balances and show transaction history.
- NFT API: QuickNode’s NFT API is ideal for developers and businesses transitioning into Web3 to offer NFT-related products and services. QuickNode’s user-friendly dashboard simplifies the tedious process of retrieving NFT data from individual smart contracts. Developers can fetch comprehensive data for any NFT project on Ethereum, Polygon, and Solana, accessing distinct parameters such as creator, holders, transfer history, etc.
- QuickAlerts: In the fast-moving Web3 space, real-time on-chain data is invaluable to making the right investment decisions. QuickAlerts is a plug-and-play solution for developers to receive real-time notifications on specific on-chain events involving tracked NFTs, smart contracts, tokens, and wallets. QuickAlert users can implement simple or complex expressions to tap into different on-chain event triggers.
- Graph API: QuickNode’s Graph API underlines the company’s commitment to fostering innovation and more convenient ways to query blockchain data. Using the multi-programming language-friendly Graph API, developers can easily fetch ERC-20, NFT, and token transaction history on Ethereum and Polygon. Graph API comes with unique inbuilt security features and improved performance for Web3 dApps.
QuickNode’s multi-product blockchain solutions address core infrastructure needs for Web3 projects, providing customers with a solid base to build high-performance products and services. On top of a robust infrastructure, QuickNode serves its offerings through a user-friendly platform designed for new and experienced developers. Users can navigate different features, view real-time analytics, collaborate with teams, and manage account settings on a single dashboard.
QuickNode further augments its offering by providing developers with in-depth documentation and educational resources. These expert-written guides simplify querying blockchain data using diverse programming languages and up-to-date libraries. Even when developers cannot find what they are looking for, clients can count on an industry-best customer service that has made QuickNode the go-to technology partner for leading Web3 companies.
QuickNode as the go-to for Web3 developers and businesses
New clients onboarding QuickNode are in good company. Dune operates the industry’s largest data platform, allowing users to query blockchains with SQL data. Dune relies on QuickNode’s world-class infrastructure and customer support to power its platform. Mats Julian Olsen, the co-founder of Dune, had this to say about QuickNode’s services.
“QuickNode’s multi-chain support and global low-latency platform helped us scale with ease. Our team has peace of mind knowing infrastructure is handled, and support is always available when we need it.”
Blockchain analysis provider Chainalysis also ranks among the users of QuickNode, specifically tapping QuickNode’s infrastructure to query the Solana network. Rajath Alex, Senior Software Engineer at Chainalysis, says about QuickNode: “Solana is an absolute beast of a blockchain, and QuickNode is one of the few teams in the industry who have an archival setup for Solana and make it super easy to interact with it!”
Being the chosen infrastructure provider for leading Web3 companies with multi-billion valuations underlines QuickNode’s competence. However, the company’s core strength revolves around continuing to refine its offerings to meet the needs of a rapidly evolving industry. QuickNode continues to add support for more blockchains across its product suite, embracing emerging technologies such as zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs).
Accelerate your Web3 transition with QuickNode
QuickNode is helping developers and businesses bridge the gap between Web2 and Web3 by delivering multi-product solutions that scale with a project’s user base. The QuickNode platform offers robust APIs to connect Web3 apps, such as NFT marketplaces, wallets, analytics platforms, and DeFi applications, to blockchains. QuickNode also provides developers a user-friendly interface to query and manage real-time data on tokens and NFTs.
As the transition to Web3 accelerates, it will become increasingly vital for companies to adopt the new technology or lose customers to competitors who do so. On the other hand, businesses that switch early will maintain a first-mover advantage in their respective sectors and benefit from the inevitable mainstream adoption of Web3.
QuickNode’s multi-product blockchain platform currently powers some of the most widely used dApps and is an essential toolkit for many experienced Web3 developers. Companies transitioning to Web3 can leverage QuickNode to truncate development cycles and ship products faster.
Explore QuickNode solutions and join the project’s community for further updates and discussions.
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