Alchemy

Alchemy is a managed blockchain developer platform that combines chain endpoints with indexed data services, smart-account tools, and rollup infrastructure. That makes it broader than a provider used only to send standard JSON-RPC calls.

An app key defines the endpoint a project uses

A team creates an app, enables its chains and services, then receives an API key with HTTP and WebSocket endpoint URLs. HTTP handles request-response calls such as state reads, logs, contract calls, fee estimates, and submission of an already signed transaction. WebSockets deliver selected new-block, log, and pending-transaction updates without continual polling.

The key identifies the app making provider requests; it is not a wallet or signing credential. A wallet or external signer creates the transaction signature before the endpoint relays it, so the endpoint neither holds a user’s private key nor determines whether the chain includes or successfully executes the transaction.

Indexed data sits beside raw chain access

Standard EVM methods such as eth_call, eth_getLogs, and eth_sendRawTransaction are the node-access route. Alchemy’s Data APIs add indexed balances, token and NFT information, transaction history, enriched transfers, and analytics, removing some of the application work of collecting and organizing raw chain records.

Wallet APIs add smart-account operations and gas sponsorship separately from ordinary endpoint access. A project can therefore combine RPC, streaming, indexed data, and account-abstraction services, but enabling one does not make every method or higher-level service available on every supported chain.

Compute-unit capacity is shared across apps

Alchemy measures consumption and throughput in compute units, so logs, traces, enriched data, and streaming can cost differently from a simple status request. Capacity is account-wide: separate apps help divide projects or environments, but their traffic draws from the same account allocation.

When that allocation is exceeded, HTTP calls receive a rate-limit response and WebSocket requests receive an RPC rate-limit error. This makes retries and reconnection part of a production integration. Alchemy suits teams that need its data and wallet services with node access; a narrow endpoint-only deployment may instead favor dRPC or a self-operated routing layer.