Google Cloud has introduced a Blockchain Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service aimed at helping developers interact with blockchain data more efficiently.
At the time of writing, the service is only compatible with the Ethereum blockchain, but the company plans to expand support to other networks over the next year, according to a September 17, 2024 blog post . The service is initially available with a free tier, which allows developers to make up to 100 RPC requests per second and a total of one million requests per day. It supports EIP-1474, a standard set of RPC methods used by Ethereum nodes. Google Cloud’s offering is fully compatible with Ethereum’s JSON-RPC standard, allowing developers to integrate it into Ethereum-based DApps using a single line of code.
Blockchain RPC Reliability Challenges
According to cointelegraph.com, RPCs are software protocols that allow one program to request a service from another program located on another computer or network. In the context of blockchain, RPCs are essential for allowing DApps to interact with blockchain networks, such as to clear and settle transactions.
Google Cloud noted that RPC reliability is a recurring issue for many crypto developers. Even minor delays or errors in RPC responses can impact the performance of DApps, which often need to process transactions almost instantly. Issues are more likely to occur during periods of high network traffic, such as spikes in transaction volume.
An example of this occurred in June 2024 when ZKsync, an Ethereum layer-2 scaling solution, faced significant delays and functionality degradation due to high network activity and issues with its RPC providers.
Google Cloud had already launched its Web3 portal on April 25, a suite of tools and resources designed to help blockchain developers. However, cointelegraph.com reports that the reception from the crypto community has been mixed, with some commentators criticizing the portal’s user interface, while others expressed disappointment at the lack of support from major blockchain ecosystems like Bitcoin.
