Overview
GetBlock is a node provider that lets developers connect their apps to Cardano without running their own server. A node is the software that keeps a live copy of the blockchain. GetBlock runs those nodes and hands each customer a private web address, so a wallet, exchange or app can read chain data and send transactions through it.
GetBlock is based in Singapore1 and has run blockchain nodes since 2019, across many networks besides Cardano2. On Cardano, it offers access to the main public network (mainnet) through two connection layers: Ogmios, a bridge that lets apps talk to a Cardano node using simple web messages, and Rosetta, a shared standard for connecting exchanges and wallets to different blockchains in the same way3. On Bitcoin, the same company runs nodes for mainnet and a test network (testnet), reachable through standard web requests and the Blockbook data service4.
Key Features
- Three ways to connect to Cardano. GetBlock offers Rosetta, Ogmios over ordinary web requests (JSON-RPC), and Ogmios over a connection that stays open (WebSocket), each pointed at Cardano mainnet3.
- Transaction tools built for exchanges. GetBlock's Rosetta service reads balances, blocks and pending transactions, and builds transactions in steps. Only the metadata and submit steps need a live network connection, so most of the work can run on an offline computer5.
- Answers about the chain's current state. Ogmios web requests return protocol settings, stake pool data, rewards, treasury balances and governance proposals, and can estimate how much computing a smart contract (a program that runs on the blockchain) needs before a transaction is sent6.
- A live feed of new blocks. The Ogmios WebSocket connection follows the chain block by block and watches the mempool, the waiting area for transactions not yet added to a block7.
- Private nodes in three cities. Teams that need more capacity can rent dedicated Cardano nodes, including archive nodes that keep the full transaction history, in Frankfurt, New York or Singapore8.
What to Expect
Developers start by creating a free account on the GetBlock dashboard, choosing Cardano and one of the three connection options, and receiving an endpoint: the web address their code sends requests to9. Each endpoint carries its own access token, a private code written into the address itself rather than sent separately. The dashboard lets you replace or delete a token10. GetBlock's Cardano docs include starter code in JavaScript and Python3.
Shared access is metered in compute units, GetBlock's measure of how much work each request takes, and the cost varies by method. A free plan comes with a daily allowance and a cap on requests per second1. Paid monthly plans raise those limits, and customers can pay by card, crypto or prepaid credits2.
Tangem, a hardware wallet maker, began using a dedicated GetBlock cluster in 2023, according to a GetBlock case study, with Cardano support running through Rosetta11. GetBlock says it completed a SOC 2 Type II examination by Atom Assurance, an independent check of how a company runs its internal controls over time, and shares the report with customers who sign a confidentiality agreement12.
GetBlock has offered Cardano access since 2021, with Rosetta at the center of its setup from the start13.
