If you are into the blockchain industry, you might have heard of Infura. But what is Infura and why does MetaMask use Infura? This article will help you to learn about Infura.
What is Infura?
It is a set of tools that anyone can create applications that connect to the Ethereum blockchain. It interacts with the Ethereum blockchain and runs nodes on behalf of its users.
It is used by:
- MetaMask
- Cryptokitties
- uPort
- Truffle
What problems does it solve?
Infura aims to make developers' lives easier. These are some of the main questions:
- Storing data on Ethereum is expensive.
- Connecting to the Ethereum blockchain is complicated.
- Syncing blockchains is slow.
- The Ethereum blockchain takes up a lot of space.
Why does MetaMask use Infura?
MetaMask has been using Infura as an endpoint provider because their reliability and availability are second to none.
As blockchain traffic expands, MetaMask users need to be able to submit requests to the blockchain, no matter where they are, what they are asking to do on the chain, and how many people are doing it at the same time. Of course, there are some limiting factors: the more activity on the chain, the more congested the network, the more gas fees are affected, and in the end, each transaction can only go into so many transaction jams.
But under no circumstances should your endpoint provider be the bottleneck for this scenario. This is when Infura's traffic capabilities shine, no matter which NFT is falling. Additionally, Infura provides endpoints for many more blockchains than just Ethereum, and this solid support for multiple chains will be essential as we move into a world of many blockchains.
So I hope you know why does Metamask use Infura and what is Infura. Maybe the future is where everyone has their own node and Infura will no longer need it. Until then, Infura is creating a huge on-ramp for people to use Ethereum. Until Ethereum becomes fast and easy to use, Infura's status as a centralized guide will continue.
