ChainAPI’s Web3–API integration platform is now live!
A first-party oracle that allows API providers to directly serve their data and services to any blockchain-based application is a powerful thing. In fact, it is the core value proposition of Airnode, the open source first-party oracle node developed by API3. However, despite provider-operable oracles having become a new-found reality, the answer to the practical question of how to integrate your API to a first-party oracle node, deploy the node and maintain it through API updates has, for as long as first-party oracles have been around, remained along the lines of “just follow the documentation or get in touch with our team for help”.
This “please check the docs” approach paired with Web3’s ecosystem-wide lack of widely available API integration tools has created a significant bottleneck for scaling Web3 data availability. It has meant that in order to operate a first-party oracle (i.e. an API with a direct, non-third party connection to the blockchain), an API provider has often had to directly reach out to an oracle project’s core team to get help in setting up their node — a task that has required a non-negligible amount of back-and-forth emailing, meetings and other hoops to jump through. And even if copious amounts of hand-holding hasn’t been necessary for the API provider, deploying an oracle node has meant a healthy amount of coding as well as the prerequisite to this — the ability to code and to sufficiently understand blockchain-specific technical concepts.
Today, we at ChainAPI are happy to say that those days are over. With the launch of ChainAPI’s Web3 integration platform, any API provider can now follow a simple GUI-based integration and deployment flow and start running their first-party Airnode without writing a single line of code (or, as importantly, a single email or telegram message to an oracle project). This enables API providers the world over to start serving their API-delivered data and services to thousands of applications across multiple blockchain networks without having to rely on third parties for either the operation of their oracle node, or its setup process. With ChainAPI, connecting an API to an oracle node has been made as easy as possible, allowing providers with no blockchain technology experience to serve their APIs to the growing Web3 market.
To begin your Web3 journey as an API provider, simply go to ChainAPI.com and follow the sign-in instructions. For signing up, ChainAPI uses MetaMask — a free Web3 wallet that allows you to interact with the blockchains that will connect to your Web3-enabled API. Once you’re signed in, you will be presented with helpful resources that guide you through the integration process.
For questions, suggestions and support, do not hesitate to get in touch with us.
We are also already working on enhancing ChainAPI with some exciting new features, so make sure to follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on what’s new.
We look forward to seeing your API on the decentralized Web!
