撰写：《What is Blockchain Infrastructure as a Service?》by Moralis

Compiled by: TechFlow

The development of various infrastructures for blockchain is impressive. Countless companies, organizations, projects, and communities are taking blockchain development to the next level, and Web3 is now closer to the mainstream than ever before.

Furthermore, proper blockchain infrastructure services enable developers to gain core advantages in the crypto space and use Web3 effortlessly. If you want to bring your business or project into Web3 using blockchain infrastructure as a service, this article is for you.

What is blockchain infrastructure?

Blockchain infrastructure consists of many different parts. For example, blockchains, dApps, smart contract platforms, node providers, API providers, and hardware components. Let’s go back to the beginning and see where it all began.

In 2009, Bitcoin was created, bringing with it the first blockchain. However, while this blockchain network had many advantages, it limited developers. Therefore, a team of blockchain developers created Ethereum, the first fully programmable blockchain. Today, we can see the emergence of several other well-known developer blockchains (also known as "infrastructure blockchains"), and new blockchains are constantly being developed.

These networks are the foundational layer for all blockchain applications. Without these networks, there would be no dApps (decentralized applications). In addition, blockchain infrastructure includes physical devices, software, and all other layers of the current blockchain technology stack (see figure below).

But in this post, we can focus on the technologies, tools, and solutions that dApp developers need to pay attention to. After all, when creating a dApp, you definitely don’t want to deal with the blockchain directly.

Clearer classification - sectors and industries

In addition to the above blockchain technology stack, CoinDesk's "Digital Asset Classification Standard" (DACS) should be a good tool for understanding blockchain infrastructure services. This classification of digital assets introduces a degree of clarity and uniformity to the relatively "turbulent" blockchain industry:

As can be seen in the figure above, DACS defines six major sectors: computing, currency, DeFi, culture and entertainment, smart contract platform, and digitalization. Although these six areas have their own blockchain infrastructure services, "computing" and "smart contract platform" dominate in terms of blockchain infrastructure as a service.

Blockchain Infrastructure as a Service – What is it and how does it work?

Blockchain Infrastructure as a Service is a managed blockchain development platform or tool that allows users to build on top of existing blockchain networks. In addition, this means that blockchain infrastructure services cover a wide range of areas. On one hand, they can focus on helping developers build layer 2 blockchains and solve the underlying problems of infrastructure. On the other hand, blockchain infrastructure services can help developers build and deploy dApps to directly reach users. In addition, blockchain infrastructure services also include all the backend tools, such as data storage, that make the creation of dApps possible.

A proper Web3 provider provides both infrastructure and blockchain development tools. As you may know, the initial blockchain applications were centered around cryptocurrencies only. Hence, the term "Blockchain as a Service" (BaaS) was built for the monetary space (as you can see in the DACS diagram). As such, BaaS is often defined as a more centralized protocol that uses permissioned blockchains for narrowly defined purposes. Therefore, we avoid using BaaS and "Blockchain Infrastructure as a Service" interchangeably. After all, most of the leading blockchain infrastructure services have nothing to do with cryptocurrencies and are not blockchain protocols.

Still, it helps to think of blockchain infrastructure as a "software as a service" for Web3. Ultimately, reliable blockchain infrastructure services help businesses get applications up and running with minimal effort. The latter ensures greater agility and faster blockchain adoption. After all, if businesses develop blockchain-related backends themselves, they will waste a lot of money and time.

Blockchain infrastructure services

You’ll better understand the concept of blockchain infrastructure as a service by looking at some of the blockchain infrastructure services. So let’s look at five industry groups (also new industries in their own right) in the computing space. We’ll also cover other important technologies that have already played a big role in shaping blockchain infrastructure:

Computing

According to DACS’s documents, the computing sector includes protocols that focus on decentralization and the removal of intermediaries for services such as computing, cloud storage, databases, and networks. In addition, DACS divides the computing sector into five sectors, all of which provide important blockchain infrastructure services:

IoT — The IoT sector focuses on developing the “Internet of Things” and Web3 by incorporating blockchain networks into the real world. Basically, this type of protocol facilitates interoperability between IoT networks and blockchains.

Oracle Protocols — Oracle protocols focus on collecting, organizing, and transmitting data. They do this by supporting both “on-chain to on-chain” and “off-chain to on-chain” data in real-time. Typically, oracles leverage their network’s native token to pay for transaction costs and governance rights.

Privacy Computing — This part of the protocol is all about building a free, decentralized, secure-as-a-service computing power market.

Shared Networks — Distributed cloud computing open networks allow participants to offer energy and computing resources to buyers at varying costs.

Shared Storage — Shared storage protocols all exist to revolutionize traditional centralized storage servers. They achieve this by distributing storage responsibilities across an open source network of miners/stakeholders and building an economic incentive system.

Other important blockchain infrastructure service technologies and tools

In the next section, you’ll learn more about the best blockchain infrastructure services for building dApps. However, even such solutions can only cover some of the ground. Therefore, you’ll want to explore the previously listed protocols and the following technologies and tools to eventually find your ultimate Web3 technology stack. Here is a list of the leading blockchain infrastructure services technologies and tools:

Node Providers — All communication with the blockchain (decentralized digital ledger) is done through nodes. But as a dApp developer, you definitely don’t want to run a node, as it’s a full-time job with many challenges. Instead, you can use a provider that runs a node to meet these needs. Web3 API Providers — This is arguably the most important “Blockchain Infrastructure as a Service” tool/technology. After all, Web3 APIs enable coding consistency in a stable environment. Moreover, there are various Web3 API providers that offer different APIs. In most cases, these providers connect to the nodes and create their own blockchain backend infrastructure that you can leverage. Smart Contract Programming Languages ​​— These languages ​​enable developers to write smart contracts, and they vary from chain to chain. Smart Contract Development Frameworks and IDEs — Frameworks and IDEs support smart contract coding, compilation, deployment, verification, and testing. Web3 Wallets — They are primarily used to manage, send, receive, and store cryptocurrencies. They also play a vital role in Web3 authentication, performing on-chain transactions, testing dApps, and more. Blockchain Explorers — These special types of dApps enable users and developers to explore on-chain data and even interact with smart contracts. Leading Infrastructure Services Projects in Blockchain

Here is a list of technical solutions and tools for each of the above:

Computing fields:

Helium (IoT); Chainlink (oracle); Filecoin (shared storage); IPFS (decentralized storage solution, but not based on blockchain);

Node providers:

Alchemy； Infura； QuickNode； GetBlock； Chainstack； RunNode； Pocket Network；

Web3 API Providers:

The Graph； Covalent； Alchemy； QuickNode； Biconomy； Bitquery； Moralis；

Projects/tools focused on smart contract development:

Solidity (smart contract programming language for Ethereum and EVM-compatible chains); Truffle (development environment, testing framework, and asset channels for EVM-compatible chains); Hardhat (Ethereum development environment); Ganache (testing environment); OpenZeppelin (Solidity smart contract template provider); Metaplex (Solana smart contract template and tooling solution); Remix Online IDE (compile, deploy, and verify smart contracts for EVM-compatible chains);

Web3 Wallet:

MetaMask (Ethereum and EVM compatible chains); Rainbow; Trust Wallet; Coinbase Wallet; Argent; Phantom (for Solana); Ledger;

Blockchain Explorer:

Etherscan (Ethereum); BscScan (BNB Chain); PolygonScan (Polygon); SnowTrace (Avalanche); Summary

If you’ve spent some valuable time learning the above sections, you’ve learned everything you need to know about blockchain infrastructure services. There are quite a few aspects to this disruptive new technology, and you’ll also learn that these tools come in the form of on-chain protocols, while some come in the form of off-chain projects. In fact, you’ll even have a chance to explore which are the leading computing protocols and blockchain infrastructure service projects. In the end, with these excellent blockchain infrastructure-as-a-service solutions, you can join the Web3 revolution with your traditional development skills.